


If it weren't for you

by WritingOddly



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Jealousy, Love, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:53:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingOddly/pseuds/WritingOddly
Summary: The Lone Wanderer saves Charon from a life of hell, he just doesn't realize it yet. Charon X F!LW. Will be M in later chapters.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just wanted to say this is my first fanfic so Im kind of nervous to even post this lol. This will be a slow burn between Charon and LW but don't worry, it won't take 30 or so chapters for them to get together B) Please tell me what you think! Im still trying to get the hang of this place!

The bar had been slow for months now, not even a fight to break up so Charon could stretch his legs and move from the spot he could feel himself rotting in. He shifted from left to right every few hours just to adjust his bones. He stared into space wandering if he could use one of the empty glass bottles littering the tables to kill himself...and if it would be breaking the contract ahzrukhal held. Being reminded of his "pledge" to Ahzrukhal, Charon's eyes lazily scanned over to the table where he stood bartering with snowflake about another shot and (if he paid generously of course) one of the many chems ahzrukhal kept under the table for special paying customers.

A small thudding made Charon's shoulders clench in anticipation. He relaxed when he seen it was just one of the few ghouletts that wondered into the bar ( greta or something) smacking one of the only radios in underworld. She kept smacking, hitting, and turning knobs, trying to get any sound other than static to come out. Before Charon could start his march over there to throw the damn thing at the wall, a voice was finally heard.

"Hello boys and girls, its three dog bringing you back the good news of the wasteland! "

Charon let out a small sigh and leaned back on the wall again. Three dog had a way of annoying him with that ridiculous good mood he always seemed to be in but he had to admit it was good when that radio finally worked for once. It was pretty much the only way he and the other ghouls heard of any news that went on outside, hardly anything dramatic happened inside the museum.

"-And buckle down my fellow listeners, Ive got more news about our own lone wanderer that is out and about-" If the ghouls had ears they would have pricked up at the name. "Last time our fearless friend stopped by they were generous enough to give ol' three dog more of their story and now...I'm here to tell it all to you." He continued.

"how do you think they do it? I mean like...survive out there? alone?" Greta asked one of the more sober ghouls. In the middle of a sip, held his drink at his chapped lips and thought for a second before shrugging.

"Probably just a lucky fucker." He finally answered and took that swig he had been lingering on.

The 'Lone Wanderer' everyone kept taking about was probably the only highlight of the working radio. When Three Dog would mention the current events in the wanderers life every ghoul would stop to hear the latest on this mystery of the wastelands. It gave people something to look forward to in the underworld.

"I heard they've slaughtered a super mutant camp once!"

"The other day I heard they took down a deathclaw."

"Carol told me they had a pet deathclaw"

The rumors went on, and got more out of hand the later it got. More and more customers came into ahzrukhal's bar just to get drunk on the cheapest alcohol and then crowd around the radio. The mood in the place changed as they all murmered about the possibility of who this mysterious person was and if they would ever be seen near the museum. Finally after Ahzrukhal realized people were talking instead of pouring his drinks down their gullet, he decided to end the party. One by one they slowly rolled out, until ahzrukhal gave Charon the look. Charon stood straight and once he started walking towards the crowd they all picked up the pace. Unfortunately one of the rather wasted ghouls needed a little help leaving, and only after Charon tossed him out and locked the door did he see ahzrukhal calling him over with a swat of his hand. Ahzrukhal pointed to the barstool at the end for Charon to sit, and so he did.

"You know, I don't really get the hype of this whole story everyone seems to be getting into...but Im not complaining when these slobs bring me more caps because of it." Ahzrukhal chuckled out loud. The night got the best of him, as he decided to take a couple of shots himself for how hard thought he worked tonight. He managed to get more caps than he had seen in the last few months, so he deserved a treat. Apparently he was feeling generous and poured two last shots and slid the second to Charon.

Ahzrukhal tapped the shot glass as he raised his own. "drink. Don't waste it and make me regret even pouring it." He demanded. His attitude change suddenly as he thought about the money that came in tonight.

"We did good today Charon, a little celebration is needed every once in a while." Ahzrukhal gave a greasy smile as he slung his head back and downed the liquor in one go. Charon brought the cup to his lips. He hesitated, glancing back at Ahzrukhal and his slimy smile as he kept jabbering about how much he made with watered down liquor and how stupid the other ghouls were for not realizing. Charon just sneered, just the thought of talking to Ahzrukhal like they were business partners made him want to hurl the drink into the mans eyes. Charon did what he was told, sit the shot glass down, and stood waiting for further instructions.

Ahzrukhal noticed mid sentence that Charon was up out of his seat. "I see you want to go back to your corner then. Go, Im done for the night anyways." He said waving him off and slandering to the door way before turning back around. Ahzrukhal snickered a bit and grabbed the rest of the liquor.

"Charon tell me, do you really buy into this..." He stood and swung his hand in a circle trying to find the words, "Lone wandered bullshit?" Charon stared at the wall in front of him, his feet begging him to sit back down on the barstool and relax and end whatever chit-chat Ahzrukhal thought they were having.

"Answer me." Ahzrukhal demanded a little more sober this time. Charon's head snapped to him, teeth clenched. He didn't care about this conversation, or any conversation with Ahzrukhal. All he wanted was to, as Ahzrukhal put it, go back to his corner.

" I don't believe in stupid fucking stories." He finally said. It must had been a good enough answer since Ahzrukhal rolled his eyes and continued to the back leaving Charon alone again.


	2. The girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to introduce my Lone wanderer! I want to get to the part where she finally meets Charon but we have to get through introductions first! Thanks again for reading!.

Willow thought today would be like the rest, one where she could take her stroll around the museum and enjoy the rest of her cigarette in peace. She knew it was ruined when she heard the first gun shot and then a couple more following after it. She took her laser rifle off her her shoulder and put out her cigarette, pissed that she had to waste it on whoever was making a ruckus. Willow heard the distant yells that echoed around the mall and realized it came from the super mutants near by. She wondered why they were getting closer to the museum, usually the mutants kept to themselves. Maybe the mutants finally decided to try and expand their territory and tried to take over the museum of history in a riot? or maybe some poor soul wandered into their camp without knowing. She blocked the sunlight over her eyes to try and see over in the distance to the mutants camp grounds and found that the latter was correct.

A small figure ran through the dust with two super mutants in hot pursuit. Willow watched in anticipation as the figure managed to keep a good distance between themselves and the mutants but unfortunately seemed to be a terrible shot. Every bullet the stranger made seem to avoid the mutants, only hitting one in the arm causing him to pause and yell in a fit of rage. With all the commotion Willow noticed a couple of ferals creeping from around one of the destroyed shops and eyeing the three trouble makers not far from them. Willow just shook her head and felt bad for the poor soul running as fast as those small legs could carry them from two super mutants and four random ferals who decided to join in. What a way to die.

One of the ferals managed to piggy back the mutant that was lagging behind from the gun shot. It got a good latch onto his neck while another one scratched at whatever it could. Willow could tell even from where she stood that it hurt the big bastard pretty good. He lost track of his original mission trying to get the ghouls off of him. One must has gotten his eyes as he yelled louder over the screeches of the ghouls and started to lose his balance. Willows attention was brought back to that poor soul running away. They might stand a better chance now that only one mutant was left, Willow started to root for them...until she realize they made a quick turn for her front steps at the museum.

They must have seen her standing there and hoped for backup as the figure waved one of their hands in the air trying to get Willows attention, the other shooting back with bad aim at the monsters behind. For a moment Willow panicked, she wanted no part of this but when she seen there was no stopping these idiots she raised her rifle.

Aiming at her big green target, Willow was able to hit the last super mutant in the chest slowing him down a bit. Willow hurried to turn and shoot at one of the other ferals bringing it down with one bullet. The stranger who put her in this mess finally reached the start of the stairs leading to the museum, turning now to help to bring down their followers.

The stranger had been so focused on the mutant they didn't see the last feral to their right and was pounced to the ground. Willow glanced at the figure, distracted, but turned her eyes back at the mutant who realized she was the one who shot at him. Letting out another howl, the mutant shot his own pipe rifle and nicked Willow in the shoulder. Furious that she was now a part of this mutants bad day, she focused all her attention on the green bastard. Willow was obviously a better shot as she sent holes through his body. His energy began to die as his knees crumpled to the dirt and his massive frame fell on to the pavement, not even ten feet away from where Willow stood. A close one for her. Breathing deeply she reach for a cigarette, but heard the shriek of the feral behind her, forgetting about the last problem she had.

The newcomer tumbled over the feral as it scratched at the their clothes and bandana they wore around their face. The stranger kicked the feral onto its back and before it could get on its feet and willow could reload her rifle, they brought out a rusted machete that was hidden under their coat, thrusting it up into the ferals chest. It let out a gurgling scream as it threshed about. The stranger yanked the machete out and watched the feral crumple onto the pavement letting out small hisses before going completely silent.

Willow stood, her shoulder aching and blood dripping onto her leather jacket. The stranger stumbled over on the edge of the stairs slowly whipping whatever blood they could off on to the green coat they wore and plopped down. They started rummaging into their pack, shaking a little as they moved. Willow huffed, cursing under her breath about the blood soaking through her favorite shirt and went to grab her cigs from her pocket as she tried to calm her nerves. After a few minuets of the stranger not moving from the stop on the stairs, Willow finally decided to speak to break the silence.

"You know, its pretty stupid for someone to go straight through the mutants camp like that. Who doesn't know where they stay by now? What are you, some kind of tourist thats new to the wasteland or something?" She said, a bit snappy.

It was unlike herself but she was aggravated and in a bit of pain, not to mention her lighter wasn't working. The figure stopped rummaging through the pack they had slung on the ground and looked up at Willow. The stood, still a bit shaky, and Willow got a good look at them finally.The bandana, now a bit shredded, hid their face along with a combat helmet and a pair of broken sunglasses. They started talking before they took the bandana off so the first part of their apology was muted.

Pale skin and baby faced, speckled with dirt and grime was reveled under the bandana as they yanked it off. A young girl, who Willow thought couldn't pass for over 20, took off her helmet and a mess of blonde hair scrambled out. She looked much younger now that she stood straight in the oversized coat that hid her machete and God knows what else inside. She seemed a bit finicky, and a somewhat famished making Willow almost feel bad for snapping. almost.

"I really am sorry for getting you into this mess, I-I just didn't know where to turn and then I seen you and figured you were my only chance of getting help out here." She admitted, using her hands to talk as they flayed around. Her voice was shaking a bit but was rather calm for someone who just outran super mutants and feral ghouls. Willow just stared and took a drag from her cigarette. Willow watched as the girls blue eyes connected to her bloody shoulder and grew twice their size in alarm.

"Oh, quick! Before the bleeding gets worse." She said running to her pack again and pulling out a stimpak. She held it in her hands and offered it to Willow.

" It only hurts for a second but it will heal the wound up fast" she tried to explain. Willow looked at the girl and them back at the stimpak, dumnfounded. Was she serious? Willow let out a sigh and flicked the butt of her cigarette.

"Kid, I know what a damn stimpak is." She said in her rough voice, pinching what would had been the bridge of her nose. The girls hand flattered, unsure of how to make amends with the ghoul. Willow looked her up and down, she had scratches that bled through her own clothes around her stomach from the feral along with a couple of bruises around her neck and cheeks. she looked pitiful. Willow sighed. Why did she have to be so damn nice all the time?

"It looks like you need it more than I do anyways" Willow said, pushing her hand with the stimpak away. She slung her rifle onto her back and motioned for the girl to follow behind. "Come on, keep that stimpak for an emergency and lets get you inside."

"wait, what?" She asked, realizing Willow was already walking away. The girl grabbed her own bag and followed. "Inside?" She questioned trying to keep up.

"yeah, inside. You know...into underworld? damn tourist, where you raised under ground or something?" Willow asked lighting her third cigarette with an older lighter she kept as a backup. she gave a small chuckle to lighten the mood and stopped before opening the front doors and sighed. "Look, I don't think you would last another second out there without at least being checked by a doctor. We have one that can fix you up for a decent price and then you can get outta here. Ill need him to patch me up a bit to if they want to keep me out here protecting this place and random tourist like you. Besides, I need a break. sound good?"

The girl looked up at Willow, and for a moment Willow thought she was going to keep asking questions. Finally she shook her head in agreement looking a bit more determined and level headed than she did earlier.

"Good. You'll find that the less questions you ask, the better in underworld. You don't seem to be to scared by ghouls so I hope you can handle a whole museum full of them." Willow said pushing thorough and leading her in.

"As long as no ones feral in there." She spoke, half joking. Willow gave a snort and looked back at her. She seemed to calmed down after the adrenaline rush of the fight. They walked through the black marbled hallway. Ancient animal skeletons stood their ground on display on the side of the walls, watching the girls every made it to the entrance of the so called underworld which was marked by a giant chipped skull that sat right on front of another set of larger, thicker doors.

"Again, thank you...uh.." The girl went to say.

"You can call me Willow."

"Right, thank you again Willow." She finished. "I really would had been dead out there if I didn't run into you."

Willow just let out another puff of smoke and waved her off. "Don't mention it kid. Dont you have a name? Doctor Barrows is probably going to need it for your charts. and I'm going to have to explain the bleeding along with the smooth skin I'm bringing in here."

The girl shifted for a split second, like she didn't know what to tell Willow. "You can just call me Danny." She said

Willow tossed her last cigarette out, Barrows would just bitch at her if he seen it in his office. She gave the girl one last look, unsure if she was really prepared for a trip inside this dirty place, unfit for a young smooth skin like herself.

" I like tourist better." She said and pushed back the entrance.


	3. The stare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Edit; I went back and fixed spelling errors. Im sorry if you see so many! I miss a lot of stuff even after I read it over >__>

The underworld was quieter than Danny expected. As she and Willow walked through the large black doors Danny's eyes scanned around this quarter of the museum and was surprised to see how calm of an environment the Underworld had. Many ghouls roamed the floors making idle chit chat, some on the second floor hanging their arms lazily over the banister. It wasn't to noisy and everyone seemed to know each other and have conversations about everyday life... until they noticed Danny walking next to Willow. The conversations seemed to stop and whispering could be heard. A lot of them stared, mostly with interested and a few with what seemed like disgust. those ghouls didn't seem to keen on having a smooth skin (Danny was sure thats what Willow had called her before) in their particular ghoul-only home.One particular ghoul in a bulky coat with a large pack strapped to his back had his eyes glued to what looked like a rather aged map of the wastelands glanced up to give Willow a small nod doing did a double take as she and Danny walked by. He raised what would had been an eyebrow to Willow and she gave him a shrug that just said 'I'll explain later'.

Willow walked passed one of the signs next to the door at the end of the corridor that read Chop Shop and knocked twice. Danny could feel the other ghouls staring a hole in her back with their eyes. She turned her head and the ghouls turned back fast acting nonchalantly.

"You're gonna have to get used to that, we don't have a whole lot of smoothskins here." Willow said and tapped on the door with her knuckles again. The door opened revealing another ghoul, a male, cleaning his hands of what seemed to be blood on hankerchief and looking rather tired. He froze in his place as he spotted Danny, a surprised expression on his weathered face.

"Oh, well...I see Willow made a new friend." He said putting the handkerchief in his back pocket. Danny extended her hand making the first move.

"I'm Danny" She said as he took her hand. His face in more shock as she didn't even flinch at the touch of his exposed skin.

"And she's polite to, don't see that very often." He said with a small smile. it disappeared when his eyes trailed from her hands to the small amount of blood and scratches on her clothes from the feral. He looked over to Willow and seen the blood still dripping from her shoulder.

"Look Barrows, you know my breaks don't last long. We need a bit of fixing up if you're not to busy playing with your experiments." Willow said. He shook his head and opened the door for Danny to head in first.

"Go on in and sit on the table so I can get a good look" He motioned for all of them to walk in and stopped Willow for a brief second. "A smooth skin? Where the hell did you find this one?" Willow just sighed.

"I've only known her for about ten minuets and I can already tell you, its a long story." Barrows just shook his head and let her continue to walk in.

Danny sat on top of the examination table, her feet dangling off like a child. She was pretty short but this just made her feel like a joke. Barrows and Willow came in after her, Willow taking a seat at one of the spare chairs near what was probably Barrows desk. Barrow went to the back room for a moment and came out with another female ghoul who was just as shocked as everybody else outside to see Danny.

"Can you check on Willow's shoulder. Make sure nothing is fractured and just a dose of med-x for now." Barrows instructed as she did just that.

"Im the underworlds only doctor here, but I think you might have figured that out by now." Barrows said as he got out a clipboard and stared to scribble down a few things. "You can call me doctor Barrows, and thats nurse Graves working on our fearless protector over there." He winked. Willow just huffed as Graves gave her a stimpak.. "Now, uh, Danny was it? Was this a Feral attack? also Can you tell me if you're in any pain right now."

" Im just a bit bruised up I think." She answered, feeling a bit silly. She didn't want to waste his time on something that wasn't urgent, she also didn't have a lot of time to be wasting herself. "It was a feral that caused the scratched, the bruises were from the mutants...I think." She scratched her head trying to remember from the rush of the fight not long go. Her memory wasn't the best when she felt rushed. Barrows stopped writing and glanced over at Willow and Graves.

"mutants? What were they doing near the museum?" He questioned.

"Thats what I was wanting to know, but I didn't have a lot of time to ask questions." Willow said as she stood, fixed and ready to go back to work. All three of them stared at Danny, who's face felt a bit hot under their gaze. Doctor Barrows had grabbed her arms lightly inspecting the cuts and bruises waiting for her to explain.

"I didn't realize there would be any mutants inside the museum of technology, or at least not that many." She started, trying to defend her case and not sound insane."I was inside looking for something when I brought to much attention to myself and had to high tail it out of there. I'm...not the best shot, (Willow nodded her head in agreement) so I only managed to bring one of them down but the other two followed me out. If I didn't see Willow out there I would probably be trampled by now." Danny said, taking a deep breath after. Barrows, Graves, and Willow stood, all with many many questions.

"Well no wonder! the museum of technology is where you want to go if you want to get ripped apart by a super mutant." Willow said with her hand on one hip and pointing her finer to Danny like a scolding mother.

"What was so important that you would even risk it?" Graves asked. Just then the radio Barrows kept on his desk finished playing butcher pete and then a fourth voice was heard.

"Men and ladies, boys and girls, prepare to be astounded, bedazzled and otherwise stupified! Its Thhhreeeeee Doooooogggg!" the all to familiar voice was heard again thought the chop shop.

Danny scrunched her nose. "speak of the devil. I did it because of him." She said pointing to the radio." I've been working with Three Dog for some time now at GNR to help broadcast his show all over the wasteland, He needed some kind of dish inside the museum to help him do that and asked me to get it. If he would had TOLD me about them mutants we all wouldn't be in this situation...but I have to go back. I need to get that dish to him asap, but Im not so sure I can do it on my own after today" She said, doubting herself.

Nurse Graves gave an exhausted laugh and at down on the chair by the desk to take in all of Danny's story. "It sounds like you need a bodyguard kid." She said. Willow gave Graves a look over her shoulder with a small smile.

"You're not thinking who I think you're thinking of, right?" She asked Graves. Barrows caught on quick to whom they were both referring to.

"You can't be serious. She would have a better chance out there with the mutants than bargaining with ahzrukhal for something like that" He said, shutting the idea down instantly. Danny Looked at Willow and Graves trying to read their minds.

"What? What are they talking about?" She asked hopping off the table. "Who's ahzrukhal? Would he be able to help me get through the museum and back as soon as possible?"

"Maybe for the right price." Willow said as she started to walk off. "Either way...Good luck tourist, I've to to check that your mutant friends didn't bring backup outside." She gave Danny a wink, obviously in a better mood than when coming in, and strutted through the doors. Once she was gone Danny grabbed her pack and stared to get herself ready to leave and handing Barrows a small stack of caps for payment.

"I appreciate the help Barrows, the last doctor I had to deal with had the worst attitude. I was thinking about just staying sick instead of seeing him." Danny said, referring to doctor church.

Barrows smiled and thanked her for the caps."You shouldn't go back out there today." He said." Theres another store, Carols place, down a couple of doors where you can rent a room of the night. You may not have been really injured but you're body needs rest after all that. Doctors orders."

Danny agreed, thanking him one more time before heading to the door and pausing. "So, where can I find this ahzrukhal? I've got plenty of more caps to spend if money is his game." Danny said. It was true, she wasn't very good at shooting but she did pride herself on how many caps and goodies she was able to scrap after she snuck around the tunnels in DC. If there was one thing she was great at, it was sneaking and stealing. Her father would be so proud. Barrows cringed when she said his name and rubbed his eyes between his fingers.

"You really shouldn't bother yourself with him Danny." Barrows said, his voice a bit lower as he spoke as if the wall had ears. "Its just...not a good idea to be stuck in any kind of deal with ahzrukhal, you don't want to make a deal you can't keep with him." He looked at her only to see her expression didn't change. He sighed. "Check across from Carols, theres a bar called the ninth circle. Just be careful, and stay on his good side." Danny thanked him again before leaving.

Danny stopped at Carols place like Barrows said and was glad she did. Not only did she find a rather comfortable spot in the underworld to lay her head on something other than dirt for the first time in months, she also met Carol. When Danny stepped in she was immediately greeted with the sweetest hello.

"Its not everyday you see a smooth skin walk through our doors!" Carol had boasted to Greta, her partner, who didn't seem to be as phased as her. Danny asked for a room just for tonight, Carol gave her an empty single with a small bed and dresser.

"Im sorry its a little small, its all we have left with such short notice." carol apologize to Danny while she searched her bag for payment.

"Don't apologize, please, this is the best room I've seen in forever. Im just glad I'll have a bed to sleep in tonight." she said handing Carol the caps and talked to Carol a bit more about her history with the museum enjoying every second, it was wonderful to have a talk with someone who seemed to always be so positive. Carol was already one of Danny's favorite people in the wastelands. During their conversation Danny notice random ghouls walking in, not ordering food or a room but to get a glance at the smooth skin who was seemed to be getting along well with the other ghouls. As they kept talking, Danny placed an order for dinner later to be delivered to her room in about an hour or so and decided to travel around the museum until then.

She walked out and seen on the other side of the second floor another set of black double doors stood where ghouls stumbled out and in, possibly drunk by the looks of it. It must have been the bar Barrows had mentioned that ahzrukhal owned. Danny readied herself and walked over.

Smoke from cigarettes poured out of the door when she opened it. The radio played softly in the background trying to give the ninth circle a more laid back atmosphere, but once Danny walked in she knew she didn't belong. More eyes watched her walk inside. One of the more confident ghouls (or more intoxicated) actually walked up to her, tipping his torn hat to her and introducing himself. Danny smiled, but before she could give him her name he held up his finger to pause her as he ducked by the nearest trash can and puked. Danny's nose curled in disgust but she tried to hide it as she continued on. Everyone seemed to have a bit more than they could handle as they tried to keep their balance. She scanned the bar until she met a pair of foggy blue ones staring back.

Danny walked over, glad to see someone who hadn't lost their lunch over alcohol yet. She noticed he was glaring at her with such an intensity she had a hard time keeping eye contact. He had to have been almost two feet taller than her and looked intimidating as hell as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed tightly. His glare seem to harden the closer she got.

"Hello, I ju-"

"Talk to Ahzrukhal."

Danny was stiff as she was immediately cut off. "But I jus-"

"Talk. To. Ahzrukhal." He repeated, ending whatever conversation she tried to have. Danny opened her mouth and shut it immediately and backed off. She missed Carols attitude. To the bar she went then. She grabbed the nearest stool and tapped her small fingers on the old wood when she seen a dry hand land next to hers.

"Wellll now...looke here, We've got us a smooth skin that I aint ever seen before." said the man in his greasy tone. Danny looked to see a ghoul in a old pinstriped suit with a smile just as dirty. "My name is ahzrukhal and why, may I ask, is a fresh face young woman doing in a place like this." He asked, propping his elbow on the counter. Danny could see why Barrows told her to stay away and regretted her decision in coming here. She faked her best smile.

"So you're Ahzukhal? You're just the man I've been looking for." she said, trying to act as relaxed as possible. Ahzrukhal raised his eyes to that and laughed a bit, sliding just a hair closer.

"well now, my day just got a lot better then if you're looking for lil' old me. What can I do you for?" He asked getting out two shot glasses. She wondered how she should approach him. She didn't want to seem to eager for his help and it lead to other ideas, and she wasn't stupid. She knew men like him and how they thought. She didn't like to think to highly of herself when it came to looks but being a smooth skin here (and a female at that) may give her an advantage in getting what she wanted. She could play this role easily.

"I just got back from doctor Barrows after getting my ass handed to me out in the wastelands, I figured I needed a drink." She said, laying her head on her left hand and pouting her lip just a smidge. "He said to stop on by here, its where I could get the good stuff." she gave him a small smile and batted her eyes slowly.

"my dear, you came to the right place." he smirked and slid the drink over to her. She took it and gave him another small smile. She gave a quiet thanks and quickly downed the drink in one gulp. Ahzrukhal stared at her neck and throat as she swallowed. Tears formed in her eyes but she blinked them back as the drink burned all the way down.

"I made a couple of wrong turns apparently and ended up in mutant territory. Im lucky I made it to where its safe." She went on trying, giving a slow sigh for dramatic effect.

Ahzrukhal made a ticking sound with his tongue, shaking his head slowly. "How could anybody try to put a hand on you out there, you seem sweet as a peach and hardly a threat." He said smoothly. "Why, I should send Charon out there to teach them a lesson for you, and then we can celebrate." He said raising his own drink. Danny turned her head slightly to look back at the tall ghoul perched on the wall. He stood as straight as stone but she had a feeling her knew they were taking about him.

"Charon? You mean broody over there?" She pointed. That seem to make a laugh as he poured her another shot.

"Oh don't let his bad attitude fool you, its not an act. Charon is...well lets just say with the snap of my finger," He demonstrated by snapping, "He would take care of any of my problems, by force." He bragged proudly puffing his chest out a bit more like he was the one he was talking about. Danny glared a little. That didn't sound right...it almost sounded like slavery. She knew it was something that went on in the wastelands, and she wouldn't stand for it. She came into the ninth circle with intentions of getting help, but now she was determined to get Charon out of whatever deal with Ahzrukhal he might be in. Of course, there was nothing she could do at the moment but keep pretending.

"Is that so? He sounds pretty handy to have around...or maybe even take around the wasteland?" She said looking up at azrhkhual. He stopped pouring his second glass and gave her a side glance. "in fact...he sounds exactly the type of someone I need out there to save my ass." She continued. Ahzrukhal sat his glass down and gave her a smug look

"Your very right. You're smart and pretty." He said leaning over the bar so that he was closer to her. He spoke lower so it was just between them. "Charon is a very valuable asset to me and the ninth circle. You see, he keeps the drunks in line here for me so I don't have to worry about them. If I were to just give him to you, who would I have to help me then hm?" He said, his voice like gravel. "Although I might be able to part ways...for a fee."

Danny expected this of course and asked what he had in mind. Ahzrukhal looked her up and down while licking his chapped lips. Danny could feel her stomach turn in disgust. She hope she didn't play this role TO well.

"Ill give you 750 caps for him." She offered quickly before he could say anything vulgar. Ahzrukhal seemed greatly amazed for all of two seconds before erupting into laughter. He was loud enough that even Charon turn his head to investigate. Charon caught Dannys stare again and coldy rolled his eyes.

Ahzrukhal wiped a tear from one of his eyes and held his stomach, still chuckling. "Oh wow, smart, pretty AND funny! You're just the whole package aren't ya?"

Danny felt flushed, she wasn't expecting to be mocked tonight. "Well what did you have in mind then?" She asked a little more fiercely. He straighten up quick, that grin still on his face.

"Tell ya what, if you can manage lets say...2,000 caps for me, we'll have ourselves a deal," He slide closer to her again, "buuut...if you dont haeve the caps we may be able to work something out if you don't mind doing some dirty work for me, I need someone to help me get rid of a certain competitor around here." He said, his tone low again. Danny's alcohol almost came back up. She grabbed the second shot he had poured for her quickly.

"2,000 caps huh." She said, sliding the glass back to him. She lingered for a second and then stood from the stool. He raised a brow in confusion and she merely gave him another sweet smile.

"Ill see you soon Ahzrukhal." She smiled to him, disgusted with herself. It seemed to erase any suspicion on his face as his own grin was back.

"Hang on a minuet, I never got your name sweetheart." He hummed grabbing her glass to act like he was wipping it clean.

"Oh, Just ...call me Danny." She said, and winked. She turned and strutted out of the bar. She managed to make a quick glance back at Charon before walking out the door, who only ignored her. As she walked out of the door, he looked over and stared at the door a little while longer even after she was gone. -


	4. The museum of technology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH man this is the longest chapter Ive ever written! Please tell me how you like it and please ignore any spelling errors that I might have missed! ALSO! I really dislike writing fighting scenes lol, Im very bad at them so mine will be very quick.

Weeks went by and before he knew it a whole month passed since the smoothskin had been to the underworld. Charon was only keeping track because some of the ghouls at the bar still talked about it, especially ahzrukhal. Every couple of days during closing He would talk to Charon (mostly to himself as Charon kept quiet the whole time he dragged on) about what a sight a smooth skin was. He bragged about the way she looked at him and how close she let him get to her in that intense conversation. Charon rolled his eyes when he wasn't watching. The girl may had been stupid for stepping foot into the bar, but she couldn't have been THAT desperate. He knew Ahzrukhal would have no chance with her. No ghoul here would with a smooth skin.

One of the few quite nights in the ninth circle cause Charon to almost drift to sleep.The sound of the radio in the back of the bar was tuned down to a softer volume and currently music played instead of Three Dogs voice. Customers spoke gently to each other instead of being riled up tonight. If this place wasn't such a shithole one would almost call the atmosphere relaxing. Charon really had to focus all of his energy just to try and not nod off. Charon stood a bit straighter as the doors of the bar creeped open. He figured it would just be another usual customer but blonde hair caught his eye. Charon snapped his head up as his eyes followed the same smooth skin from before as she walked straight for the bar, her eyes never moving from Ahzrukhal. She looked a bit different this time, Charon noticed since he tried to remember as many details about strangers as his memory would let him. She showed more of her pale skin without that oversized coat she had from her last visit. Her hair was down and long which you didn't see in the wastelands anymore.That alone caught the eye of everyone in the bar. She sat herself down on one of the barstools without talking to anyone and crossed one leg over the other, propping her head on one of her hands and leaning in to the counter a bit more with a small smile on her face.

"What will ya-" Ahzrukhal started as he turned. When he seen it was the smooth skin again he nearly jumped back in surprise. He beamed and smoothed back what was left of his hair as he looked her up and down, happy to see more of a revealing shirt this time. "Well, well! I thought you'd never come back to visit me." He cooed. The way she was sitting gave him a better view down her tank top, which was no accident.

When Danny left the Underworld last she decided she would scavenge as long as she could until she got the 2,000 caps Ahzrukhal wanted. Since she knew she wouldn't be making it through the museum of technology on her own she traveled back to Megaton where she could trade in the goods she already had to start her savings. Moira had a few jobs that almost cost Danny her life but in the end, but payed very well and helped Danny add a good chunk into her savings but left her limping home or to moriarty's bar.  
Nova was always concerned with Danny and her missions outside of the town but knew how stubborn Danny could be when someone tried to lecture her on being safe. The night that Danny came into the bar with one eye swollen shut and her left hand completely bandaged (courtesy of Gob) is when Nova had enough and questioned why she even participated in Moiras crazy ass experiments. Danny explained her money situation and the unsavory ghoul who she made a half-assed bargain with just to help a stranger, who she was sure already disliked her, out of slavery. Nova had Danny explain the situation again just to make sure she was hearing her right. Danny's distaste of Ahzrukhal was backed up by Gob who remembered the awful ghoul and the rumors everyone talked about in Underworld of the monstrous things he made Charon do. Nova seen the desperation and exhaustion in her friends face while she struggled for money. Danny consoled into her, wondering if and when she got the caps if Ahzrukhal would keep his end of the bargain without raising the price. Nova tried to comfort Danny and decided to give some advice she knew best; using your body. She explained the fine art of flirtation to Danny that would surely get Ahzrukhal to see it her way. Danny's face healed along with the rest of whatever injuries she received from helping Moira and she set back out for Underworld, 2,577 caps jingling in her pack. She made it there in record time renting a room from Carol again and meeting a few more Ghouls like Quinn and Winthrop that she had only seen last time before heading to her mission.

Now she sat back at the same stool as her first visit, only this time a little more confident. She chose the tank top that was in the best condition and has less holes in it. Her long hair was down for the first time in ages and it laid on top of her cleavage nicely. She gave Ahzrukhal a lazy smile as she ordered a shot of vodka. They started with small talk. She didn't want to bring up the contract instantly. She had to wait for an opening.

"I'm glad to see you made it back here in one piece, I was worried you might run into those mutants again." He continued as he watched her sip her drink this time.

"You were worried about me? How sweet." She said, giving him a small giggle. He topped off her second glass and was bold enough to place his peeling hand on top of hers, rubbing his thumb on the side. Danny tried to calm down the goosebumps.

"Oh, Im not the sweet one here, you are." he said in a raspy tone and decided to plant a kiss on top of her small hands. Internally, Danny was going to cry. She gave him another giggle and playfully slapped his hand. 

"Its nice to know someone would want to watch over me like you do.." She sighed. She pulled her hair over to one side as she started to lightly sweat from acting so hard.

"Oh of course, I would do anything in my power to make sure you were out of harms way." He purred close to her face. She could smell the stench that she was sure was just his natural odor and tried to keep the alcohol down.

"Anything hm?" She asked, realizing this was her chance. "I think I might have a way for you to help me out a bit then.." She bent down a tad (purposely giving him another good view) and pulled up her pack to the counter with a 'thunk'. "I hope you didn't forget our agreement?" She asked while opening her bag to reveal shining caps.

Ahzrukhals eyes lit up as he removed his hand from hers and into the bag pulling out a couple of caps to inspect. His eyes connected back to hers, it was all business now. "Oh yes...I think I might remember us talking about a certain someone." He said glancing over to Charon for a moment then back to Danny. "Mind if I count them?" He asked already grabbing for the bag with his sticky fingers. Once he was done and confirmed that she did in fact have the 2,000 caps he tapped his fingers on the wood, a stubborn smile on his face. Danny started to worry and managed to keep her cool.

"Something bothering you?" She questioned, this time putting her hand on his to try and push his choice to her liking. His skin was flaking and dry but she continued to hold it there. 

"Charon is a very valuable item to me, who will I have to do out all my dirty work if I give him to you hmm?" Ahzrukhal questioned propping hisself on one of his elbows. He was staring her down now, waiting to see if she would crack. Danny knew there would be more to his deal but she came prepared with a backup plan.

"hmmm" She hummed and tapped her finger on her chin, acting like she was thinking long and hard. "How does this sound....You give me Charon for 2,500 caps and whatever I find out there with his help I'll split it with you.I do a bit of scavenging while I'm out there." She could see the wheels turning in his head as he thought it over. He would look at the bag, then back to Charon over again as he finalized his thoughts.

"Of course," She said, giving this one her all as she pulled herself up, her knees on the stool so she was close to his ear (or where it should had been) as her breast pressed against his shoulder."This means I would have to come back to see you all the time." She felt him shutter and she knew she won.

Azhrukhal cleared his throat and grabbed the bag, his yellow smile forming on his lips. "Well my dear, I am a man of my words." He turned and went for the safe behind him and pulled out what looked like dusty piece of paper from the very back. He blew away any dust that had laid on top of it and handed it to her. Danny sat, confused and slowly grabbed the yellow paper. She opened it only to see words half missing from age. 

"What is this?" She questioned, feeling as if she had been duped.

"That is Charon contract, He's all yours now doll. I'll give you the pleasure of telling him yourself while I add my total up." He winked at her and focused his attention to his small fortune. Danny slowly got up from the stool, still perplexed at exactly he meant by 'contract.' She snapped out of it and headed over to Charon and away from Ahzrukhal as fast as she could.

Charon stood planted in the same spot as the first time she seen him. When Danny reach this side he only turned his head a little. His glare was the same as before. Danny was sure she would probably never see a different expression on his face. 

"I'm not really sure-"

"Didn't I already tell you to talk to Azhrukhal before?" He cut her off again. Danny felt the heat rise in her cheeks and wondered why she was even doing this. She held out the tarnished paper in front of him and she stood corrected as his eyes widened in surprise. He stood up from the wall he seemed to be premaritally propped up on and went to reatch the paper but stoped himself, his hand suspended in mid air. 

"did you purchase this?" was probably the stupidest question Charon ever asked. There was no way Ahzrukhal would let anyone touch his contract unless it didn't belong to him anymore. 

Danny shook her head, still holding it out for him to take. "Look I' not sure what exactly is going on with this contract I bought from him, but I want to give it to y-"

"That is good to know, I'll be right back." He said, cutting Danny off for the fourth time since they met and walked passed her, his eyes locked onto the back of Ahzrukhals head. He could feel his blood boiling in his face, his muscles tightening and his heart beating faster than in the past 20 years. He stomped to the corner of the bar where Ahzrukhal stood, exposed. Ahzrukhal turned. He froze when he seen Charon scowl at the end of the table. 

"Ah, Charon, coming to say goodbye? " He said as he place the last of the caps in a neat pile on the table. He gave him a smug smirk as he clanked the caps together. "Its been fan, hasn't it?" He mused. Charon sneered.

"No." he spat, briskly pulling his shotgun from his back and fired, twice, right into the bastards chest sending him and the caps flying backwards. 

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Danny turned at the sound. The residents in the bar bolted out of their chairs as they ran out the to doors. Beer and liquor feel to the floor as they left everything behind. Danny gaped, her blue eyes as big as the tables in the room at the ghoul now splattered with blood. Slowly she made her way over and looked down at the red mess that soaked into the carpet. Oddly enough, She didn't question it. She had only known Ahzrukhal for so little but understood why someone would want to kill him, especially someone who was forced to be a slave to him for who knows how long. Instead, she looked at the safe dripping with blood that was still open and hurried over, stuffing her pack with the caps she had just given up along with everything else inside. She looked over to Charon, her eyes darting around the now empty bar.

"We should go." She slung the now full backpack on and strapped it on herself tight as she sped walked out the door, Charon right on her heels.

Ghouls were now crowding the main hall as they questioned the ones that were in the bar abut the loud noise they heard. Everyone was in a confused panic as Danny and Charon hurriedly through to the exit. As they were right at the door Quinn, one of the residents Danny introduced herself to before getting into this mess at the bar, walked with what looked like a map in his hands trying to get Danny's attention.

"Hey smooth skin," He said, oblivious to the commotion around him," I was trying to get you before you left again. You mentioned you've been traveling around so I thought you could have this old map of miii-ahhh,oh, C-Charon!?" He stumbled over his own feet as he looked at the ghoul behind her. He turned to see the ruckus going on on the first floor then back to a guilty looking Danny. " The hell did I miss?"

"I'm sure someone can explain." She said, giving him an apologetic smile and taking the map he offered her. "Thanks again for this Quinn, I'll see you later...hopefully!" She shouted as she ran the rest of the way. They made it to the outside of the Underworld where the skeletons of ancient animals hovered over them. Danny was already out of breath and stopped to lean against an information post about one of the fossils. She wiped her brow, realizing she was still clutching the contract. She looked up to Charon who didn't even break a sweat. Danny pulled herself back on her feet and held the paper out again to him.

"Here, I worked hard for this." she said, still panting a bit. "I'm not really sure about the details of this thing, but you're free now." He kept staring at her and didn't respond. "...right?" She asked, a bit desperate for an answer this time. 

Charon pursed his lips."Did you read the contract before taking it from Ahzrekhal." He asked.

She shook the paper a bit in her hands, getting frustrated with the confusion this thing was causing. "Read what? I can't read anything on this! half the print is missing!" she unraveled the contract back and forth as if full sentences would appear magically. Charon turned and rubbed his temples, he could feel his stomach drop. His life was now in the hands of a foolish girl, who had to be barley past the age of 18. Still...it was either this or Ahzrukhal.

Charon turned back to her, crossing his arms as he spoke. "Whomever owns the contract will have my aid in whatever they wish, for good or ill, I will serve you."

Danny's eyes grew wide again as she looked back down at the half empty piece of paper. "..You can't really mean that?" She asked looking to Charon expecting him to say 'Just kidding! See ya!" and to trot off into the sunset to start his slave free life. He didn't say anything of course, just nodded his head once. Dread came over her as guilt bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh no...no, no, Charon, this isn't what I meant to do! I don't want to own you, I wanted to free you from that stupid bastard in there!" She started to bite her thumb nail as her nerves went haywire while she overlooked the contract for the tenth time, pacing back and forth. Charon knitted his brows together, taken aback by her words.

"If you do not wish to have my services, you can give my contract away to anyone." He said, trying to figure out her problem, assuming she didn't want to deal with him being around her already. Danny stopped pacing and let out a long breath.

"And what? just give you to someone like Ahzrukhal again? Or worse?" scratching her head she rolled up the contract and placed it in her pack. "no...we'll figure this out together, there has to be a way around this." she stated calming herself down a bit. She held the straps to her bag and looked at the ghoul in front of her. With him standing fully he really was over two feet taller than her. His red hair filled most of his head and his blue eyes looked back ghostly. Chills when down her back and she looked past his shoulder breaking eye contact. Charon shuffled in the awkward silence as she thought on her plan of action, uncomfortable with his newest employer.

"Ok, heres something.." She said a bit quieter. "I need to get to the museum of technology, but Im not the best when it comes to range. Apparently, you are." She continued, pointing to his shotgun on his back. "There are mutants in there but we can try to sneak in and just go a different path instead of the one I took last time, We might avoid them that way. I would really appreciate your help, but only if you're willing."

He hesitated, some of her words not processing in his mind. "Are you giving me a direct order to join you in the museum or not?" He questioned.

"I'm giving you a choice." She said and deep down she felt awful that she even had to word it that way for him. Her life has always been her own choices, a lot of them bad ones but still her own.

He shuffled uncomfortably again in his spot. "I will accompany you for good or ill." Danny sighed and bobbed her head down in defeat. 

"Ok...lets just get out of here." She said marching on to the larger front doors. Charon nodded glad to hear an actual order from her. 

"yes....mistress" They both stopped at that. Danny turned with an alarming look on her face, but gave an awkward smile.

"Charon, my name is Danny. You can call me anything you like....just not that, please." She said, laughing a bit. Never in her life did she think someone would call her mistress.

"As you wish." and they continued.  
\--------------------------------------------------

As they stepped outside Charon took a deep breath through the hole in his face. He used his hands to block the sunlight that blinded him for a moment as he followed behind Danny. He couldn't really remember the last time he was able to go outside in the light, but he knew it was years. He put his hands down and got a look at his charred fingers and hands that he stretched out to reach for his shotgun. He was a little rusty to the outside world so he wanted to be as prepared as he could be. He followed Danny to the edge of the museum where a cloud of smoke could be seen along with a leather jacket.

Willow heard footsteps coming before whoever it was came completely out the doors. When she turned to see the smooth skin again she gave a small smile, but when she seen Charon she dropped her cigarette from her mouth. 

"Well I'll be damned, I guess you took my advice after all."She said to Danny and winked. Danny beamed at her and pulled something from her pack. Laser rifle ammo was pulled out and handed to Willow as a parting gift. Willow took it with ease, her cracked smile getting a nudge bigger as she nodded a thanks to the girl.

"Stay safe out here." Danny said back to her as she and Charon continued. Willow caught Charon's eye and nodded at him to, which he repeated. 

"Good luck with that one." She teased to him and lit another cig.

They went thought the nearest metro station to avoid the danger from above and agreed to exit closer to the museum of technology. Danny tried to engage in conversation with Charon but had little luck with his one worded answers. Danny's mind was still milling over the whole contract thing. How could one piece of paper force a person into submission? That was going to be her next mission. They stopped after a while near what looked like an abandoned raider camp, complete with a filthy mattresses and empty needles littering the floor. A fire that hadn't been put out completely flickered as Danny added more debris to jolt it to life once more. Danny sat on the of the cleanest looking mattress deciding they needed a break and dug out two clean water bottles from her pack. She took a few large gulps from hers and held the other out to Charon. He, of course, refused.

"You will need it more than I will if we continue this trip." He said. She scoffed at him.

"You're making the same trip with me, you need to stay hydrated to." She said, keeping the bottle held out to him. They had another staring contest, and when Danny was about to think he would refuse again, he slowly took the bottle from her and drank. She gave him a soft smile and his eyes darted away from hers.

"So, this contract..." She started, again. She could tell He didn't want to talk about it but she had to know what she could about. He let out a long breath from the opening where his nose would had been.

"I will serve you for ill or-"

"I know that but what exactly does that mean?" She asked, cutting him off for once. "This whole thing is just crazy, You know you can just grab this and live your life free of any commands?"

He didn't look at her. "It doesn't work that way." a stone wall he was. Charon downed the rest of the clean water. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever given CLEAN water, and wasn't sure when his next bottle would be so he didn't waste a drop.

"Then please, explain it better to me."She didn't mean to, nor did she realize, but it was a direct command.

He faced her now, tossing the bottle into the fire. "If you tell me to jump into that barrel of fire, I will and burn just like that plastic. If you tell me to rob the nearest shop for whatever you desire, I will at once . If you tell me execute anyone you despise, I will without question." His face was deadpan and he could see the tension in her eyes as she tried to keep her cool. "I will do as you, and only you, tell me to do because I have no choice. There is no other way." 

She looked away slowly taking it all in. The contract felt heavy in her bag behind her a the gears turned in her head, trying to figure out some way to change this. It felt like an eternity until she spoke again.

"Then, I will make one order. Only one." She stood now and tried to seem confident in her decision. "Charon-I order you to do as you please. Do what you want and for the love of God, say what you want. There is no restrain. If you really are stuck with me for now...well then I want you to feel unrestricted as possible! At least until we can try and figure out something."

His eyes shifted around, obviously uncomfortable as he was at a loss for words. He had no idea what he was allowed to say in this-but at the same time he could now say whatever in the hell he wanted. He felt clammy and wipped his brow.

"what do ya say?" She asked softly. She had taken a couple of steps closer to him, tilting her head a bit to try and get a better look at his expression.

"Yes..."

"Yes?"

He finally looked at her again. Her eyes looked genuine, but so did many other of his employers at first. Although they never did give him the option to have this much freedom. "...Yes, I will try that."

She nodded her head, happier than she showed."We should be close now. I think the next exit leads out to the museum." She said, checking the map Quinn had given her. "I'm not sure if anyone told you before, but the last time I came to the Underworld it was because I fucked this mission up on the first try. I need to go back in and retrieve a communication dish from inside. Like I said before, if you want to join me I would really appreciate the help but if you want to wait and stay put you can." 

Charon stared at the map in her hands. "...This may be a good time to...say whats on my mind." He said, feeling awkward as the words came out.

Danny pipped up, excited to finally hear something good from him. "Ok, what is it?"

He looked her stern in the face. "You will not last five seconds in there again without my help." It hurt, but he wasn't wrong.

They snuck inside from one of the many turns of the metro tunnels. It connected to a ladder leading up to what seemed like an empty janitors closet into the museum of technology. As quietly as they could, they scrambled out. The main entrance was empty. Danny's boots stuck to a suspicious red ooze on the ground as they snuck near another entrance. Hiding behind a ticket booth, they crouched on their knees forging plan of action.

"Ok, I messed up the first time by going to wrong way. The map Quinn gave me says we need to reach the west wing if we're going to make it to to the virgo lunar lander, which is where the dish should be." She whispered pointing up ahead on the map.

Charon studied it, memorizing the layout as quick as possible. "Do you know how to shoot a gun?" He questioned. She avoided his gaze and bit her bottom lip. 

"Thats where I messed up the second time." she admitted. "I know HOW to shoot...Im just not very good. I do have this though." She said reveling the machete that was attached to her pant leg.

Charon couldn't believe how this girl was still alive. He also had no idea how he was going to keep her that way either. "That is not going to save you from them." He motioned his head around the corner where a green figure emerged from the upstairs balcony.

"Me hungry...No want to keep watch!" It hollered through the museum as it sulked around the top.

Danny gulped and racked her brain for another idea. She was small and could hide in a couple of places to try and sneak around the place, but that would leave Charon. There was no hiding all of his seven feet, not without some adjustments first. She went into her pack again and pulled out a clunky piece of metal and a screwdriver. She turned it to its side and unscrewed an opening to expose its blue and red wires underneath, connecting them to different ports on the machine, her small fingers worked fast as they twisted and plucked. Charon had a hard time keeping up at what her hands where doing as she flipped the machine over trying to turn it on. 

"its a stealth boy, and older model I think. I found it in one of the ruins a while back and kept it for an emergency. The battery pack wasn't working at first...but I think all I have to do is change a few wires that were out of place." As she fumbled with it a small light flickered on the front. "Ah-ha! Alright, this is for you." She quickly attached the machine to Charon's arm. He stumbled back a bit at her touch and she grabbed his wrist to steady him. 

"I won't bite." She smiled, clipping the stealth boy to him. He felt foolish and his face grew hot at the embarrassment. A smooth skin hasn't touched him in so long, even if it was a brief moment. He shook his head to get his mind off of the thought.

"Why are you giving this to me?" He asked as he looked at the machine on his arm.

"I'm pretty good at keeping hidden, especially since this place is a bit dark. The lunar landing is just ahead according to this map, I can make a few sounds to distract them in the opposite direction and you can run and grab it. Not to mention you're taller so it should be easy for you to grab." She waited to hear his feedback. He brought the map up in his mind and figured she might be right.

"....Alright. It would be best to try and not make to loud of a distraction. We don't need every mutant running our way." Danny nodded and flicked a switch on the stealthboy.

"We don't have a whole lot of time with this, I'd give it maybe five minuets. Maybe less." She advised. Charon opened his mouth to ask where her gun was but she snuck off quickly. He attempted to grab her wrist but she wiggled her way from the ticket booth to scale the side of the wall. He cursed under his breath, there was no way they would make it if she didn't use the brain he knew she had. Charon leaped from his spot, avoiding any lighter areas as he climbed the stairs heading to the west wing. The mutant that was already brooding at the top had a friend join him. Charon couldn't continue as they blocked the entrance to the other wing. A clanking sound echoed from bellow as an empty can of cram was tossed from their previous hidding spot which caught the mutants attention.

"What dat!?"

"Me smell something!"

Both stomped down the other side of stairs giving Charon the room he needed. He scanned the first floor again looking for any sign of Danny. He had hope she really was good at hiding as she claimed to be.Charon must had been in the right place after all as he seen the large lander in the middle of the exhibit. He could hear other mutants above him and decided to act fast before the stealthboy ran out of time. Quickly he took one step up the ladder. He didn't need to climb all the way since he was tall enough to snatch the relay dish from the top of the lunar lander. The cold metal almost slipped out of his hand as he fumbled with it. He cursed silently as he grabbed it tightly with both hands.

"Me smell something funny...smell like ghoul!" He heard above the lander. He held as still as he could as another green figure walked around the top floor, looking over the banister. Charon thought it might work out until a faint beeping caught his and the mutants attention. He looked down to see the stealth boy giving its last bit of juice and vaguely showing his body. 

"HEY YOU! I KNEW I SMELL GHOUL!" The mutant hurled himself over the banister and landed with a booming thud. Charon leaped from the ladder and threw the dish down as he yanked his shotgun from his back and fired straight ahead. The mutants thick skin seemed to swallow the bullets as he lunged for Charon. Ducking, Charon thrusted the butt of his gun up into the nose of the mutant who's head flung back in pain. He roared and went to clasped his hands over his face as his nose was broken from the impact. Charon, now crouching on his knees, fired another shot this time hitting the center of the mutants face and splattering it apart. 

He took deep breaths. He was surprise his body even remembered to move this quick again. His muscle memory was fantastic. Another roar came from the entrance way he came from snapping his attention back to the mission. Snatching the dish he ran out. Charon made it to the banister from the main entrance of the museum where the ticket booth sat below him. The mutants where gone and another yell erupted from the hallway where he was sure Danny snuck into. Jumping down from the banister like the mutant who met his demise, Charon landed on his feet and bolted. Angry cries could be heard the closer he got. He held his breath and stopped around a corner to peep around it.

One mutant tried to stand on his legs shrieking in pain, as his foot was been blasted into just a nub . Danny wasn't such a horrid shot after all. Charon turned the corner and held his shotgun to aim, hitting the mutant in the back of the head. He landed with a thick thud and laid motionless in his own pool. 

"HUMAN STOP STABBING!" 

Charon's head snapped down to his left. He sprinted into motion as he entered another exhibit. Stuck in a corner, Charon could see a mutant hovering over Danny as he trapped her in. She had her machete out and slashed at his ankles. She was ducking and weaving through his swings of his own hand held weapon- a busted looking tire iron. 

"HUMAN WILL DI-"

The top left half of the mutants skull burst off, leaving him with half a brain and only one eye. He teetered back and forth and Danny jumped to the side as the mutant fell back with a crash. Danny stood on shaking legs and dusted off her knees, trying to seem untroubled. She breathed heavily as she tucked pieces of random hairs behind her ear and walked over to the other side of the exhibit and picked up her 10 mm pistol that was knocked out of her hands during the mutant attack. Still shaking, she turned to Charon and seen the dish clutched in his hand. 

"I HEAR SOMETHING?" it was another, but sounded quit far away. 

"We should go." Danny said, stuffing the gun in her pack and running out the way they came in with Charon.

They circled back through the janitors closet and down the metro again. They followed Quinns map to an exit above ground and ran into a few feral ghouls. With the dish in her hand Danny felt helpless, but Charon took control. He never missed his target and cleared the metro. Before they knew it they were out above ground again with the sun sinking only halfway through the sky.

Once they knew they were not being followed Danny plopped down again to readjust her pack with the dish attached to it. She wiped her brow and flicked off the sweat as she fixed her hair into a bun. 

"That was....better than I expected." She said taking a moment to rest her legs. She turned to Charon who still had his guard up checking in every direction for a sign of enemies. He looked furious and a little crazy, his eyes were wild as they locked on every moving thing.

"Charon-"

"That went horrible" He said, snapping his glare to her. He clutched his shot gun harder as he stomped over to where she sat, giving Danny flashback of his 'goodbye' to Ahzrekhaul. He sheathed his gun and Danny shot up as he stopped right in front of her, her nose almost touching his chest.

"How do you expect me to follow my contract and protect you if..you...if you..." he struggled to finish his sentence. He had never talked this way to an employer before. It felt wrong and flashbacks of old employers rushed through his brain. A few had punished him for speaking aloud, leaving him to learn his lesson about giving his input. Danny had giving him a choice, he could speak freely, but did it still apply when he was talking about her?

"Charon if I made you angry tell me!" She said. She could tell it was frustration the way he rubbed his temples and paced back and forth. Finally he stopped, his shoulders tense and hunched over her a bit.

"HOW do you expect me to protect you when you make it impossible." He said through gritted teeth. "If this is how you plan ahead on your mission than you will surly get us both killed." He unclenched, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. He felt a little of the steam come off as he looked into Danny's eyes.

She felt foolish and she flushed a faint pink. "I know. Im still new to these wastelands. Im trying to figure everything out, and I was never really known for thinking a plan through all the way...I kind of jump into things." She admitted. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean new." He asked sternly. Did she come from a different area? He may have been trapped inside a bar for the last couple of years, but he was sure the world was the same all over.

“Im wasn’t born up here in the waste’s. I’m from a vault. I’ve actually only been above ground for about…six months now.” Had it really been that long? She didn’t realize it until she said it outloud. Charon crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. Surely she could had come up with a better lie than that. He went to argue with her until he thought it over. Charon stared at the girl in front of him. He seemed to looked at her really for the first time. She was fresh faced, with no scars or blemishes on her body that he could see. She had more than bones on her body like you usually see from humans from malnutrition, and seemed to fit her clothes better than others. Not to mention her actions just now, only an idiot would run around a super mutants camp like that. An idiot or a vault dweller…..

“What vault dweller would willingly leave their home for this?”

She scoffed at him, giving a small, sad laugh as she tightened her pack and took a step back a bit from him. “It wasn’t willingly. Trust me, I wanted to stay but Im got stuck in a ‘lost and found’ mission.” She said, kicking the rubble below her. It was her turn to rub her forehead in frustration. This whole thing was never suppose to be this difficult.

“Im looking for my father. He left the vault out of the blue and cause a shitstorm when he left. Im trying to do what I can to get back to him but I have to actually FIND him first….” She said rubbing the back of her neck. “Three Dog says he might have some information for me if I bring this dish to the right spot, and so I did what I had to do. It wasn’t the best plan but, we’re not dead yet.” A small chuckle came from her. Charon racked this brain for a moment and had an epiphany.

“Hold the fucking phone….A vault dweller, strange missions, three dog,” He said counting on his fingers. He clutched his hand into a first and gaped at her in disbelief. “No. No way….YOURE the one three dog never shuts his trap about? For all those months its been you?”

Danny rolled her eyes and her head lulled. “I told him so many times to stop telling this ridiculous stories. He always exaggerates and makes me seem like some kind of…hero or whatever. He said he would agree to stop but apparently not.” She sighed. She knew it was all for ratings, every time she seen Three Dog he called her his shining star. She started to wonder if after this mission if he would keep his end of the deal. she seemed to be making questionable ones here lately.

“Im sorry for just running through the plan like that. I just need find my dad as fast as I can but I feel like Im running in circles. I’ve wasted so much time already.” She hugged herself lightly suddenly feeling colder. Charon's glare toned down a bit and he awkwardly stared at the rocks under his feet.

“I can… teach you better survival skills,if you wish.” He mumbled. He actually did feel bit bad for what he had said to her, his employer now. He should had been punished but instead she talked to him about her problems. He looked at her and seen the same smile he didn’t really notice from before. Her lips were small and a shade of pink he hadn’t seen on humans in years.

“I’d like that…thank you Charon.” It was the first time an employer ever thanked him. Charon still felt an a awkward sensation come over him, feeling clammy again. He took the shotgun from his back into his hands again. 

“Lets go before the sun sets. If you can’t deal with mutants during the day, I’m not sure we should risk it at night.” He said it in a harsh tone, and meant it to be taken seriously but she gave him a laugh anyways.


	5. The Lad Cakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally made up a city for this part. I haven't payed F03 in forever so I pretty much forgot the layout, so a lot of the places and towns (besides the obvious ones) will be fake. Excuse any spelling errors! Thanks for reading and commenting! :)

“Hold. state your purpose.”

Danny and Charon were stopped by a brotherhood of steel guard after finally reaching the Washington monument which took almost two hours to get to. The guard tried to seem intimidating by stoping them but sounded very young even in side his bulky power armor

“Im here on a mission for Three Dog.” Danny said untying the relay dish from her pack. “I’m sure he had to of mentioned this to at least one of you. I need to get in there and fix this dish for his damn talk show.” She didn’t mean to sound so rude, but she was tired and ready to be done with this already.The young man’s helmet looked from Danny then to Charon who stood behind her, arms crossed and eyes burning into his power armor.

“The commander did say something a couple days ago about us getting better radio reception. I didn’t think someone like you would be bringing it though.” He really was not making a good first impression. “You can go, but no zombies.” He said, nodding his helmet at Charon’s direction.Danny looked over her shoulder to Charon. He could see the annoyance in her face as she turned back to the guard.

“Where I go, he goes.” The guard was about to reject her proposition entirely until Charon took one step closer and stood next to Danny side. Even in his power armor, Charon stood a couple of inches higher than the guard. The boys head darted back from Danny to Charon and finally gave in, realize there would be a fight if not. No where in his training did they say he would have to fight a big ass ghoul, and he wasn’t going to push his luck.

“….Fine but make it quick civilian.” he stepped aside and they walked in. They followed the path leading to a very small elevator leaving them both cramped once they were packed inside. Danny’s arm connected with Charon’s, rubbing together as the metal boxed rocked a little from the movement. He wished there was more room, He was sure she was hiding back some revulsion from touching his exposed skin. Instead, she kept making small talk (mostly about the jackass down below) and acting like the skin on half-skin contact didn’t bother her. Maybe it actually didn’t….

As the elevator made a jerking stop Charon jolted out. Danny noticed how jumpy he was being. “Hey, you ok?”

He gave her a quick nod and tugged at the from of his shirt. “Just feeling..claustrophobic, I guess.” He grumbled and continued to walk forward, with Danny behind him.

The dish had to be installed to the radio equipment. Danny figured the best way for it to get ideal connected would be to hook it up to the hole that was pretty much a make-shift window. The only problem was she was of course a tad bit to short to connect the wires. Even Charon’s fingertips only grazed them when he tried. Danny tapped at her chin lightly trying to brain storm when she turned to Charon, nervously biting her lip a bit.

“well….I’ve got an idea, but only if you’re comfortable with it.” She said, smirking a bit.

Again with this comfort stuff? Charon wished she would just tell him what to do. It would make things easier and he wouldn’t have to actually think about what he wanted. He never knew what it was he desired anymore. “What is it.”

“Well if you can, I could just hop on your shoulders real quick and hook it up.” She turned around, turning a bit pink and trying to make it seem l less obvious how nervous she was.Charon knew it wasn’t a fully direct oder, but it was close enough for him.

“If not we can always try stacking some boxes or some-THING!” She squealed as Charon lifted her on his right shoulder. Her free hand gripped his neck and he suddenly regretted his decision when her fingers touched exposed muscle. To keep her steady he realized he had to put his hand on her thigh. He already felt the heat from his face beginning to burn, and he was sure her hand would catch fire.

“Well! alright, this actually works!” She laughed, making her wobble a bit on his shoulder. She apologized and clutched the dish. “If you can just step a bit closer…”

Once she was in reach of the wires, her fingers got to work. The dish was heavy but she managed to hold it up as her arm holding it burned with pain. Charon watched her hands move. He wondered if she was some type of enngineer in that vault of hers. Maybe her dad was one to. He looked at her face as she tried to keep her concentration, with her tongue sticking out just the slightest and a small bead of sweat trailing down her neck. He felt sorry for her, she didn’t need to be doing this kind of work. She needed to be somewhere safe, back at home with the father who she so desperately traveled this shithole of a new world for.

Charon did not know this man, her father, but he already felt a high dislike for him.

Suddenly a familiar voice boomed beside them. “Thanks for listening, chiiiiiiiil-dren! This is Three Dog, OOOWWW! And you’re listening to the one and only, Galaxy News Radio!”

Danny turned quickly on Charon’s shoulder causing him to grip her harder. “Holy shit! We did it!” She cheered looking down at his face, beaming with positivity. She let go of his neck and he bent down to let her off. 

“I hope I wasn’t to heavy.” She joked and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Charon just grunted.

“Didn’t even know you where there.” Danny’s eyes grew and so did her smile.

“Im not sure if that was sarcasm or not, but you still made a joke! Today’s been a really productive day!” She said, giving him that playful grin again. Charon just rolled his eyes in response, but he had to admit her good attitude was contagious.  
———————————————  
Walking out of the evaluator, they had seen that the sun had finally started to set. Charon figured they couldn’t walk back to the GNR headquarters during nightfall. He felt he was still a bit rusty with traveling in the night and he still didn’t trust Danny fully to not act on a plan she didn’t think through like in the museum of technology.

“We should find shelter until morning.” Danny perked up at his advice and tapped her chin again, Charon noticing it was something she did when thinking. 

“We can always ask these Brotherhood of steal paladins if there is any type of city or rest stop near by. There must be, they need to get food and supplies to from somewhere.” she said and started towards one of the soldiers in armor.

The first guy was of no help, refusing to even give then a moment of his time. Danny was able to find another paladin who seemed to be working on an arm piece of his power armor who was in a better mood than the first guy. He gave them directions to a city a few blocks from the Washington monument, about forty minuets away. Danny pulled her arm up to her face and Charon realized for the first time she had a pipboy as she marked the location on her map.   
By the time they reached the small city the sun was fully down and stars popped from the sky. It was a quaint little place around the mall with a decent sized barrier around it. Lights where strung around small shops that were still selling anything a wastelander could want, from ammo, to armor, to food. A few people in leather armor walked around the edges of the city, two of them watching the outside from the top of the barriers and Danny assumed they were some type of guards. It wasn’t the biggest place Danny had seen, but it was the coziest so far and seemed fairly protected.

A couple people stared but not with disgust as one would get with traveling with a ghoul as Charon sat down.Danny had picked a spot outside one of the food shops for them to rest their feet and drink clean water while she went to ask about a room. She walked up to the counter to see a woman with a tight bun counting a couple of caps.

“Hello there.” She said calmly. Danny had noticed the woman had seen her come into the city with Charon, she didn’t take her eyes off of them since they had sat down. 

“Hello, we’re traveling and I was just curious if you had a room available?” Danny asked setting her pack on the counter. 

“I sure do, let me grab the keys real quick. It’ll be 300 even for tonight.” The woman said as she checked a board behind her that hung a couple of keys with room numbers painted on.

“For one room?” Danny questioned. She would pay it of course, but it was the most expensive room she ever rented. The woman gave her an awkward smile.

“Oh no hun, for two.” She said pulling the keys from the wall and walking back. “I see you have a uh…friend there and figured you wanted your own room.” She said trying to give Danny a smile as Danny slowly handed over the caps. The woman gave Danny the keys and Danny gave her a sour look. 

“Well thanks, Im sure when we’re tired with the first room we’ll just move on to the next one. Together.” She said, rotating on her heels and walking off. She had a hint of what the woman was implying, and how dare she. She knew nothing about Charon or Danny and it irked her. Still, Danny wasn’t sure why she didn’t ask for two separate rooms in the first place. Charon seemed to always be a bit uncomfortable around her, so why in the hell would he want to share a room? She really needed to start thinking things through more.

Danny walked up to Charon who had stretched his long legs out under the table. She handed him his own key and started to rummage through her bag again. 

“I figured while we’re here we may as well stock up on goods.” She brough out a smaller pouch (the one she had originally given to Ahzrukhal with the 2,000 something caps) and started pouring caps back in it. Charon raised his brow while sipping his water.

“You really plan on spending that much?” he said lazily.

“No, this is your portion.”

Charon nearly spit out his water but he refused to waste it. So instead he choked. After Danny clapped him on the back for a second he was back to normal. 

“MY portion? What are you talking about, I can’t take your caps.” he said as she tied up the small pouch and held it out to him.

“Yes you can. I’m sure you wasted a couple of bullets because of my blunder in the museum. Plus when was the last time you had new armor? Or clothes?” She questioned. 

He was a bit dumbfounded to her sudden bluntness to his outfit. “Its been….sometime.” He admitted and stood. “But I can’t just take an employers money.”

Danny softly grabbed his wrist, turning it and plopping the caps down in his wide palm. “Charon, whats mine is yours. While you’re with me we’re a team ok? I refuse to treat you like anything less.” She grabbed her back and slung it on her back. “Im going to get better clothes of my own and dinner for tonight. I’ll meet up with you again when I’m done. Try to have some fun on your shopping spree.” She winked and walked off, leaving Charon to stand awkwardly with his hand still out.  
——————————————  
Danny was kind but also very stubborn. Charon guessed he was the same…well, in the stubborn department. He slowly walked around debating if he should actually give in to the caps that jingled in the pouch. He sighed, looking up to see the small ammo shop that seemed to still be open by the stringing lights on inside. He walked up to the counter and looked at the crates behind it. They were quit large and he imagined they carried ammo to last a whole year. A curtain from the back revealed, to Charon surprise, another ghoul holding a crate in his cracked arms. 

“Holy-…Christ you scared the hell outta me…don’t see many ghouls here so sorry for the jump. You’d think I’d be used to it looking in the mirror every morning huh?” He laughed setting the crate down. He wore what looked like a blacksmiths apron and metal weilding gloves. He still looked like the typical ghoul with exposed muscle stretched over patches of skin and bit of blonde hair from the top of his head. He did have a bit more muscle on him, probably from lifting all these crates. 

“Names mac by the way. You new in town or just visiting?” He asked in his raspy voice.

“Just a visit…I haven’t bought anything in a while. Im not really sure how much you price your ammo for.” Charon said and looking at the pouch that was heavy in his hand. Just how much did she give him?

“Well, it all depends on how much you wanna spend. I try not to charge to expensive, I know its a bitch out there and people are just tryin to make it, ya know?” Mac said, propping his elbows on the counter and nodding his head like he was agreeing with himself. 

Charon caved in, the caps burning a hole in the palm of his hand. “Let me see what you got.”

Charon made it out of Macs store with plenty of ammo to keep him and his employer save for quit a while. Mac even had a smaller pack he sold to Charon for just five caps more. With his pack full of ammo and the pouch of caps that he didn’t even spend half of, he was finding himself happy with his purchase, which made him more confident in spending a bit more. Charon went to the clothing store down the road and purchased a new black shirt (black was the easiest in the wasteland) along with another pair of pants. He didn’t realized how long he must had been when he walked out of the store to see Danny approaching him with bags of her own, one of them filled with food. 

“I hope youre hungry.” she said and as if on queue his stomach growled.  
—————————————  
Their rooms where to the side of the building where Danny had bought the keys. After climbing a small flight of metal stairs they reached their rooms, which looked like small duplex’s and next right to each other. 

“Hey they have showers with actual working water!” Danny explained as she had peeked into Charon’s as they were settling in. “Also, I was planning on washing these older clothes. If you wanted, I could wash yours to if you want to leave them out. I really don’t mind, and besides you’ll feel better knowing you have an extra clean pair.” She said.

Charon just nodded, knowing if he said no she was just keep persisting him. He did like the idea of having a back up pair of cloths instead of walking around in blood, or God knows what, if anything went down. As Charon turned on the water and stripped down he quickly tossed his dirty clothes outside Danny’s door. Once in the shower he had a sensation he had completely forgotten about. The water was lukewarm, but it was perfect to him. Grime and dirt washed off of his body that had been caked on for years. Ahzrukhal never let him shower, and the closest he came to one was when he had to go outside the underworld to take care of a problem for his former employer. It just so happened to rain that night and he was soaked to the bone. 

Charon stood, his head on the wall as he let the water pour on top of him. He couldn’t believe the chain of events that happened just recently. It all was all so fast, just a day or so ago he was staring in that bar sure of himself that he would die there. Now thanks to Danny he had done more in the past couple of hours than he ever did in the last 20 years. Danny’s name popping in his head caused his eyes to slowly open. That smooth skin really was something else.Charon rubbed his eyes, really not trying to think about her while he stood vulnerable. As he pulled his hands away he stared at them. His fingers looking scorched and twisted as ever. Suddenly he didn’t feel as comfortable anymore and shut the water off, getting out to get dry and get dressed.

Charon finished drying himself off as he tried to get the wrinkles out of his new shirt. A knock was heard at his door and when he opened it Danny’s face was there. She still wore the same tank top and jeans that she came in with, so he assumed she was washing their clothes while he bathed. 

“Foods done, I figured it would be easier if we ate in my room since theres a table in there.” she pointed to her door and walked towards it. Charon could smell the food before he walked in and was reminded of his growling stomach. Apparently she had managed to keep a hot plate in that pack of hers and used it to cook their dinner. Charon sat down and Danny served him a plate piled with food and he had to stop his mouth from watering.

“We’ve got brahmin teak, blame mac and cheese, potato crips aaannnd-“ She said as she pulled a small pack of drinks behind her, “beer! I really hope you like this stuff. I was going to ask what you would want for diner but I didn’t find you until later. I didn’t want all the good stuff gone for the night.” she said as she joined him from across the small table. The rooms were not very big so Danny was cramped by the window close to the door while Charon sat with her bed right behind his chair.

“I…don’t know what to say. This looks almost to good.” he admitted causing Danny to grin. They dug right in with Danny trying to make small talk again while she sipped her beer. She mentioned how she loved to cook and how it was almost impossible in the vaults.

“Honestly everything was already prepackaged, or you had to just add water to it to make it edible. I never got an chance to cook like this.” She said through bites of steak. Charon was already half way done with his portion and on his second beer.

He stared at his food and looked up at her as she chewed. “…Do you plan on going back when you fid your father.” He asked. He was having an actual conversation with an employer. He still felt unsure about it.

Danny held her beer above her lips for a moment before taking another sip, slower this time. “I don’t think we could, even if I do find him.” She said, and stared off to the wall for moment while she chewed.

“Why not? ” He asked wondering if maybe he had stuck a sensitive spot by the look on her face. Grief flashed over it and then was quickly replaced.

“ Because he didn’t tell anyone about leaving. And so they blamed me. He left me a note…” She said flipping through the pip boy other arm and pressed a button. Another voice flooded the room. A male voice, who sounded a bit rushed and melancholy.

“-There’s really not telling his the overseer will react when he finds out . Its best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously, you already know that I’m gone. It was something I needed to do. You’re an adult now. You’re ready to be on you’re own. Maybe some day, things will change and we can see each other again-“ she flipped it off before he could continue.

“I have no idea where he could be. I think he might be trying to do some kind of experiment up here.” She said pushing the rest of her steak around her plate. Charon stared at his empty one. He was right after all, Her father must had been some kind of engineer or scientist. That was probably where she got her brains from. 

He wanted to say something to comfort her. She had already given him so much in such a little time, the least he could do was say some encouraging words.

“We will….find him.” He cringe internally. He really was bad at this.

Danny just smiled and shook her hands to wave off the idea. “I know, but lets talk about something else.. Hey you’re already done, are you still hungry?” She asked. He was contempt and as fuller than he had ever been.

“I could go down and see if they have any fancy lad snack cakes?”

….he could probably eat a bit more. Charon offered to go get them himself but she refused. “I’ve got it, just make sure no one steals our clothes while I’m gone.” She said before heading out again. Charon stretched fully enjoying the feeling. He placed his arms back and rested his head on them as he looked out the window. Danny had hung their old clothes out of it by some kind of rope she must had found, and they looked brand new. With further inspection Charon noticed a pair of white underwear next to his shirt…female underwear. They were laced.

Quickly he turned his head feeling like he already violated her in some kind of way. Next to his arm Danny’s bag lay open. He could see a couple of things inside, like the green coat she had first worn to the Underworld, her other pouch of caps, and a blueish material that was hanging out, probably from her throwing the bag on the bed. Squinting to get a better look he seen that it was torn a bit. Charon glanced at the door then back to the bag. With one hand he picked up the material that laid half way out. Faint yellow numbers clashed with the blue and he read 101 on the material. His curiosity got the best of him and slowly he revealed a vault suit with one of the arms torn from the sleeve. A red stain stretched from the arm hole to the zipper on the chest.

Charon looked at Danny’s vault suit and felt concern build in his chest. He could picture it now; her walking out of a vault for the first time. Not knowing how to survive, and whatever happened to this sleeve. He couldn’t imagine the fear she felt. The more he thought about it the more he realized that Danny may have been one of the bravest humans to every explore the wastelands. Quickly he pushed the suit back inside the bag, trying not to over think anything. She was fine now obviously, but then a piece of yellow caught his attention again as he disturbed the insides of her bag.

The contract. His contract. He could only see a corner of it but he could feel its power that it held over him immediately. In all of his life if never actually held it in his hands.

Whats you’re is mine

What Danny said earlier ran in his ear holes. Slowly he reached out again, hesitating the closer he got. Maybe if he could read it, maybe it would help figure out something, anything about his own freedom. His fingertips shakily brushed against the paper. He took a deep breath and grabbed on. 

“Its just paper…” he whispered to himself as he pulled it out. He clenched it in his hands, stilled rolled up. He could open it now. His body did not respond to that thought, no matter how badly he wanted it.

“You can look at it whenever you want you know..” Danny tried to say as she stood in the doorway. Charon shoved the paper back in her bag at the sound of her voice and stood, his heart racing, as he faced her bed. Danny sat back in her chair from before and sighed.

“..Charon, if you ever want to talk about your past or the contract I’ll be here. I mean…I know you don’t really know me but, I want you to know Im here to help you. I’ll try my best at least.”

He didn’t respond. He felt like he stood there for hours and that his heart would pop out of his chest. He wish a raider would come in and just kill him instead of dealing with this.

“..I should go. We need to get some rest.” He walked out without looking at her. She had called a good night to him as he walked next door, shutting his own and propping himself onto it. He held his face in his hands tightly, squeezing a little. How was paper running his life, how did he let it get like this. He sighed and slumped over to his bed and dropped down on his back. Something caught his eyes and he turned his head to see a package of fancy lad cakes on his pillow. 

He smiled and then quickly realized that he did and pulled his mouth back into its usual frown. He rolled his eyes and grabbed at the cakes, ripping them open and shoving one in his mouth. He laid there, comfortable in his very own bed slowly getting tired. 

He heard water and realize it must had been from Danny’s shower. This shitty place had such thin walls you could hear anything she did in the next room. He listened to it, and was surprised he still felt calm as he listened to the water. And then she started to hum. 

It was the best thing that entered his ears. He closed his eyes and took it all in. He didn’t deserve this. he didn’t deserve her. As he thought down about himself Danny’s humming lulled him to sleep, and it was the best rest he had ever had.


	6. The bruise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing fight scenes but it's gotta be done! Sorry if this seems a bit shorter I wanted to add it before work today. I also have an idea for these raiders in the future. Thanks for reading! Again, sorry for any errors!

Charon eyes cracked open as the sun spilled over his room. He shut them softly as the morning came over him and he let his body rest just for another moment before he jolted up. Where was he? Where was his armor? How the hell did fancy lad cakes spill all over his pillow? After standing and frantically looking at every corner of this room, it all came back to him in the form of a headache. He sat back down on his bed kneading at his temples as he remembered last night. He knew he only had about three beers last night, it shouldn’t had been enough for a small hangover like this. Maybe he just became a lightweight over the past couple of years. Charon stood and prepared for the day, first with getting the icing off of his cheek.

As he walked out dressed and ready to go he noticed Danny’s door was open. He tapped his knuckles on the side of the wall to see if she was in. Nothing. He tapped one more time. Maybe she was in the shower and just wanted some fresh air? he didn’t want to intrude on her privacy. Finally after the third knock he peeped inside. 

“Danny?” Again, nothing. He started to panic like this morning, frantically looking around her room. He checked the bath room and even under the covers and still no Danny. He would be put down in history as the worse bodyguard ever if he lost his employer. He dashed out of the room deciding to look around the small city and ran slap into another body.

A small “Oof!” Came out of her mouth as Danny plopped right on her ass as Charon knocked her down, the sugar bomb cereal she was held exploding over her. Charon felt his heart calm as he helped her up and dusted the cereal off.

“ Well I guess we can just go out for breakfast instead. “ She smiled as she plucked a sugar bomb out of her hair.

“Forgive me, I didn’t realize you were out.” He said, a bit ashamed of his reactions this morning.

“Don’t be, I should’ve left a note but I figured I’d let you sleep a bit more. You hungry?” She had kicked the box away and walked over to her room, handing him his other set of clothes she washed from last night. “I figured we would eat and then head to GNR. Three Dog got what he needed so now its time for him to pay me back.” Charon nodded and they headed on.  
———————————  
After they had eaten and paid the bill they continued out. Mac, the ghoul who sold Charon his ammo and other sullies had seen them walking out and waved at him. When he seen Charon with Danny his smile grew bigger and he gave Charon a thumbs up, which Charon ignored. The walk to GNR was almost like the walk to the museum of technology, with Danny doing most of the talking. She had her 10 mm pistol out this time, inspecting it and reloading. Charon kept an eye on the horizon and her every couple of seconds.

“You’re gripping it wrong.” 

Danny almost jumped out of her skin from the sudden sound of his voice. “What? Oh.” She rotated it around her hand, holding it a different way. “Maybe thats why I can’t shoot a damn thing.”

She held the gun out, aiming at nothing and sighed. She put the gun in the holster on her hip and tookout the machete she kept attached to her leg on the opposite side. She was better with the machete than with any gun, the only problem was she had to get pretty close to her enemies if she wanted to make a successful kill. One of these days she realized she wouldn’t be so lucky with it and end up getting bashed in the head.She quickly peeped at Charon and then at his gun. He held it with such confidence, making her feel a bit hopeless. “I’ve been thinking. If I’m ever going to survive out here I can’t rely on this big o’l knife all the time.” She said waving the machete around in from of her. “So, maybe once we get this mess with Three Dog out of the way you can show me a few tricks. If you’re willing that is.”

Charon exhaled a short laugh through his nose and looked down at her. “Tricks? You mean like holding the gun properly?” 

Danny raised her eyebrow at him and snickered a bit. “yeah exactly, smart ass.” Charon was looking ahead again, but at the corner of his mouth Danny seen it tilt up a bit. He gave her a small rundown of basic gun knowledge, like how to handle it and holding her breath to steady her aim. A few mole rats could be seen in the distance and Charon stopped them. He knelt down with Danny next to him and decided now was a good time for a practice shot. Mole rats weren’t usually dangerous if you could catch them off guard.

While they hid behind a large boulder, Danny held the gun out and held her breath as she was told. By the third shot the mole rats started to scramble back into their holes underground. Before the last one got away, Danny shot it right in the back and it crumpled in the dirt. 

“holy shit, thats the first time Ive actually killed something with one shot.” She was pretty excited, trying to swirl the gun around with her trigger finger.

“I wouldn’t technically call it ‘one shot’.” Charon responded, using air quotes. “since you shot off about five rounds scaring them. But yeah, you did hit the thing with one bullet, so we’re off to a good start.” He made her laugh again and this time she gave him a playful push on the arm. She started to aim again when Charon heard faint voices. Grabbing her arm and pulling her shoulder down they completely crouched behind the giant rock and he put a torn finger to his lips for her to stay quiet.

“-around here somewhere. I know Im not just hearing things. I heard gun shots, and look! dead mole rats! “

Charon peeked around the boulder and he could tell by the God awful spiked and caged armor they wore that they were raiders. Three of them stood around the mole rat Danny shot. One of the guys face was blocked by a hood that a lot of raiders seemed to wear. He wore a long black coat to, Charon wasn’t sure how many weapons he might have under it.

“Who fucking cares, the dumb bastard probably got dragged under ground by the surviving ones. Lets go, we already told Gerold we would be back soon with more shit. You know he’ll be pissed if we don’t hurry.” Said the tallest one. It was a female voice and Charon could see she had a hunting rifle on her back and so far the only weapon he knew for sure they had on them.

“You know, Im getting really sick of what Gerold has to say. Why do we listen to him anyways?” The third one said, another male. He was the shortest one and had what looked like run down leather armor on but his face was revealed with greasy brown hair that touched his shoulders. He turned and Charon could see a pistol on his hip.

They seemed to banter a bit more, going back and forth. “Don’t say stupid shit like that! If Gerold heard you-“

“Gerolds not here! Im sick of you cowards acting like this, If I were in charge things would be different.” The shorter one said and stomped off in the opposite direction. Which was where Charon and Danny’s sat.

If they stayed put they might get away with not being seen still, as they raiders were still a bit far away from their hiding place. Thinking of a plan Charon felt the ground near him shift. Claws erupted from the dirt and before he could stomp it to death, another mole rat popped out. It screeched and hurled itself forward. Danny yanked the machete out from the strap on her leg thrusted it forward, shish kabobing the rat. It twitched on her machete and she pulled it off of her weapon with her boot. It plopped to the ground and the puddle of blood reached their feet. Everything was quiet for a second.

Charon heard a gun being upholstered.

“Alright who the fuck is out there.”

“I told you someone was here!”

Danny looked to Charon, panic coming over her face. She slung her pack over and dug through it bringing out a frag grenade from inside. He grabbed it quickly and pulled the pin out. “Cover your ears and get ready to run.” 

He tossed it as far as he could over the boulder and covered Danny’s head with his arms. The raiders knew what it was and screamed at each other to duck while they fired at the rock. The explosion was quick and sent dust and parts of mole rat flying around. Charon and Danny bounced up and ran around the other side of the boulder and through the dust that was good coverage for a little bit. Sparks of ammo could bee seen in the mess.

Charon grabbed Danny by the waist and pushed her forward. “Run to the edge of that building over there and stay hidden.” He yelled over the scratching of the raiders. The bomb must had hit one by the sounds they were making.Charon watched Danny run and then pulled his shot gun from his back. He franticly looked for silhouettes and seen one on the ground crawling. The smoke cleared a bit to see if was the one with the hood over his head, now torn and bleeding. His leg was broken almost completely as he struggled to crawl. His one eye that was out met Charon’s.

“OVER HERE! ITS A FUCKING GHOUL!” He shouted and tried to reach for a pistol in his coat. Charon shot once, hitting his neck, and ending it quick but not quick enough. 

Another silhouette appeared to his left. They tossed an object in the air and Charon realized they had their own gernades. He sprinted out of the way as it exploded, with less force as Danny’s, tossing debris everywhere. A good chunk of debris hit Charon right behind the knee, making him buckle and almost trip. He quickly caught himself as he seen the figure run at him through the dust. 

Danny ran and seen through the smoke what Charon was talking about. A small shop stood alone on the dirt road, probably an old gas station. Danny slid around the corner and tried to catch her breath. With shaking hands she pulled her 10 mm back out and reloaded. She hasn’t going to let Charon deal with three raiders all alone.

“Aha! Found you!” It was the female raider from the other side of the building. Danny turned and was met with the butt of a hunting rifle hitting her right on the side of her face. She fell back seeing stars. The raider held the gun out, finger on trigger and Danny rolled, barely missing a bullet. Danny shot at the womans legs and nicked her somewhere as she barked in pain. 

“You little shit, I can’t wait to blow your damn head off!” The woman shrieked as she held the rifle up again, this time just shooting anywhere she seen an opportunity. Danny ran on all fours, finally making it to just two as she jumped through one of the broken windows of the gas station. She took a second to suck in air, then aimed out the window.

The raider reloaded behind a smaller boulder and stood tall to aim at the window. Danny held her breathed and focused, closing one of her eyes and pulled the trigger. She did it again, and then a third time for good measure. The woman stumbled back with every shot Danny took, dropping her gun and her shirt turning red. Danny watched she as fell backwards. She stepped out of the station and sprinted over to the body, quickly taking what she needed from it and trying not to look at the raiders dead eyes, unfortunately feeling a bit of guilt.

Charon was tackled by the last raider making him drop his shot gun. This one was short but had the most pent up rage but the way he punched and kicked. The raider managed to get a few swings on Charon as he surprised him. Charon kicked him off, sending him flying a few feet back on his ass but he was quickly up again. He yanked the pistol from his hip. Charon looked to his side to see his shot gun a few feet away from his grip.

“You stupid fucking ghoul, You shouldn’t have came here.” He mocked, his mouth swollen and bleeding but still grining down at Charon. “First, I’m gonna kill you and take your shit. Then, my friend is going to kill your little stooge and I’ll take their shit!”

A bullet flung past Charon and hit the raiders gun, flipping it out of his hand. They both looked to see Danny walking behind, aiming with the other raiders shot gun.

“Step away from my ghoul.” She demanded in a calmer tone than Charon would had expected.The raider glared at Danny, seeing no other option, and slowly backed away. Charon leaned for his own gun and held it out towards him.

“We killed your friends and took their shit. Now we’re going to kill you and take your shit.” Charon spat, aiming for his chest. All three of them stood closer now.

He just gave Charon another shit-eating grin, a bit of blood bubbling out. “No you’re not.” A small ‘thunk’ was heard as another grenade fell by his feet and he ran for it.

“CHAR-“ Danny yelled as he forcibly grabbed her by the front of her coat and tossed her backwards. She flew a couple of feet and rolled on the ground as the grenade went off behind her. A loud ringing dimmed out any other sound in her ears and she slowly stood up on her hands. She couldn’t see a thing as again, dust and smoke filled the air. 

She knew she was calling Charon’s name, but she couldn’t hear herself over the ringing. she held her pistol she brought back out tightly just in case the raider was still about. Her boot hit a hard object and she bent down to see Charon’s black shirt. Quickly she turned him over the best she could. He was out. Blood came from the left side of his arm where he had turned to toss Danny out of the way. Pulling her pack around she snatched a two stimpaks injecting one in his arm and on in his chest. She didn’t realize she was tearing up until her hearing came back and she heard how cracked her voice sounded. She grabbed a water bottle and poured it over one of her spare shirts to dab over his face.

“Charon! Charon please wake up!” She begged as her hands shook while touching his face. She stood, grabbing his arms from behind and slowly drug him inside the gas station, away from any other dangers. As she made it there and barricaded the doors she propped Charon up on her backpack. He was slowly breathing and his eyes cracked open a smidge. 

“Oh thank God, Charon!” She said trough a breath of air. “Are you ok? Please answer me.”

He made a small sound in the back of his throat and she offered him water. “You’re insane! You could have ran instead of tossing me like that! You almost got yourself killed, and…just Christ Charon.” She said, exhausted and not really knowing if she should thank him or scold him.

He could feel the stimpaks kicking in. He blinked a couple of times before fully opening his eyes. He sat up slowly and seen his arm had already healed from the explosion. He turned to apologize and did a double take. A big purple bruise was already forming around her left eye. Guilt bubbled inside of him.

He didn’t mean to, and he didn’t realize what he was doing until his hand was hovering over her cheek, his thumb stroking the bruise. She didn’t say anything. She stared at him with soft and tired eyes. The stroking was calming and Danny realized how exhausted this whole experience was.

He snapped out of it and jerked his hand back.

He scooted back a little, looking any where but her face. “I…apologize. I did not mean to make you angry at me.” Would something like this actually cause her to punish him this time? Ideas floated around in his head as he prepared for the worst. Instead, Danny sighed and slowly laid her head on her knees.

“No, Im sorry. You saved me, again. I just didn’t want you to get hurt is all.” She said.

“You’re hurt to. I will be fine, the stimpaks do their job quick… but that bruise will probably be there for a little bit.” He felt guilty. And angry. He knew it was the female raider who had given it to her. Charon wished he was the one who killed her. He wanted to give her two black eyes before ending her life.  
Danny smiled and pulled her long hair into a less stringy bun. “I think it makes me look threatening, no raiders will jump us after seeing this shiner.” She said pointing to it. 

Charon looked at her again and the anger and guilt seemed to ….melt away, almost instantly. Her positivity made the room glow and her smile made the old station comfortable. She had a huge purple and green bruise forming over her face and Charon still couldn’t stop thinking of how good she really looked. How happy and positive, even after this fuck up.

He gave her a snort, and stood slowly. “Yeah, you should even be able to keep deathclaws away.” He smiled a bit it. It really was contagious. 

“So rude!” She said, laughing again and causing Charon’s stomach to do another flip.


	7. The town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man this one took some time! I have a smaller plot that I want to work with that deals with vengeful raiders from the last chapter , which you'll see about in the future ;) Again, thanks for reading and excuse any errors!

As they walked out of the gas station Charon seen the boot of the female raider by the edge of a large rock where the rest of her body was hidden. Blood had pooled around the boulder and Charon looked over at Danny who couldn’t take her eyes off of the shoe. Her face was whiter than before and her expression ghostly.

“Have you ever killed another human before?” He asked as they walked and her gaze was torn from the body.

It took a second before she said a quick, “No.” and didn’t look at him.

Danny had been out in the wastelands by herself for months now and she avoided killing humans for as long as she could. She had seen raiders before, but managed to not be seen. She took the metro route a lot and had to finish off feral ghouls without a problem, but killing another human was something she knew she would eventually run into. She knew raiders were not good, even as humans, but it seemed more serious when she thought about killing one. The act seemed more real.

Charon seemed to noticed. “You did good.” He cringed at his lack of words and decided to try again. “…It does get easier. The wastelands are filled with nauseating people and you have to fight to survive. You are doing well for someone on their own.” 

Her smile came back as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, I’m not on my own. Not anymore at least.” She gently nudged him with her shoulder as they walked on.

With that touch, the words that Danny had said during the fight came to him. ‘Don’t touch my ghoul’ she had yelled, the rifle in her hand and looking threatening for her size. His mind started spinning out of control. Did she mean to say that? Did she feel that close to him already? Was she just possessive over her property? At that final thought he felt guilty. Danny truly did not seem like that kind of person to him, but she was an employer and this was only the beginning. He looked ahead, realize he had been looking at the back of Danny’s head as she walking forward. For now, he would keep this more business-like and stop letting his emotions get in the way.  
———————————————  
The GNR building loomed over them, casting a shadow over the rest of the wasteland. As they walked ahead Charon could see more Brotherhood of steel paladins guarding the building. A few of them crowded by the entrance by a large white tarp covering something underneath it. One paladin tried to move it, moving the tarp by accident as well and unveiling something Charon hadn’t seen in years; a dead behemoth.

Danny caught him staring at the green mass. “I’m shocked they haven’t gotten that thing out of the way yet, I mean we did kill it some time ago” She said as if it were an everyday thing. Charon swung his head to her, baffled by her words yet again.

“We? You mean you helped kill that thing?” He asked as they walked through the glass doors. Maybe Danny was just being honest before, but the stories Three Dog had been telling about her might actually be true.

“Unfortunately, I did a bit more than just help.” She said rolling her eyes a bit at the paladins. She leaned in closer to Charon. “You would think with them wearing all that amor and hurling around those big guns, they would be more help.” She was still bitter apparently. Danny had stopped by a metal door this time and tapped with her knuckles. Noises could be heard behind and it opened revealing a musky, dimly lit room.

“Well, well, its the one and only!” The booming voice of Three Dog shouted as he let Danny through. Three Dog canned his neck up as Charon walked in. 

“Wow!" He shouted, "You got a new friend I see!” He said as Charon passed by.

“Three Dog, Charon. Charon, Three Dog. “ She introduced as she sat down on the couch next to Three Dog's station. She patted at the spot next to her for Charon but Three Dog jump on it, not realizing it wasn’t meant for him. He grabbed a case of Nuka-cola from the side and handed them each one.

“A stoic ghoul companion…yeah, I think I could make that work.” He smiled as he popped open his drink.

“Oh no, you’ve got to stop with those ridiculous stories already! I already told you once!” She started. Charon raises his brow, this was probably the most assertive he had seen her so far. 

Three Dog held his hands up in defense. “I kid, I kid! I won’t use that line….exactly at least.” He quickly changed the subject before Danny could protest. “I’ll have plenty of time to think of a new way to give an update on your story to the wasteland since you fixed that radio dish. Now more people will hear about the good fight! I really owe you one kid.” He said and gave her a slap on the back, making her spill some cola on her shirt.

“Oh, you do owe me. Remember our deal? I risk my life trying to get you on air and you tell me where my dad might be?” She said, but gave him a sly smile. Three Dog knew how to get on her nerves, but Danny liked him. 

He sat back on the couch and stretched a little from a hard days work. “Alright alright. Just remember, I don’t know if he’s still there now or not.” He sat up straighter and the goofy attitude was gone. All of Danny’s focus went into Three Dogs words. Charon even moved an inch closer to hear.

“When your dad passed through here, I spend a long time asking him about all kinds of stuff. He mentioned some scientific mumbo-jumbo which didn’t make sense to me…I dunno something about a project purity? That sound familiar to you kid?”

Danny blinked. It didn’t. “..no..but I figured he would be here for some kind of experiment. He wouldn’t come to the surface for any other reason.”

“Well he also said something about visiting a Doctor li in Rivet City. Its probably about a day’s walk from here.” He finished, setting his empty cola glass down on the table.

Danny racked her brain. What the hell was he doing? Never did he talk about secret project or this doctor. Danny wanted to scream. She had to clear her mind, she had to much stuff swimming inside her brain. She quickly stood. 

“Can I use your washroom? I think I need to clean up a bit.” She asked, sounding rushed.

“Of course, down the hall. Maybe you should change out of that bloody outfit you’re wearing, especially since you’re going to Rivet city. Don’t wanna spook them into thinking you’re some kind of mass murderer with your pal here.” He said pointing to Charon who just grunted. 

Danny took her pack and headed to the hall. “I’ll be right back.” She said to reassure Charon. She knew Three Dog was harmless, the only thing he would do is ask Charon questions about literally anything that had to do with being a ghoul.

She shut the door behind her and turned on the faucet. She splashed the water over her face and hands, getting rid of the blood and dirt. She glanced down at her pants and tank top. Three Dog was right, she did look pretty disgusting. She rummaged through her bag, realizing the newer outfit was also not going to work since she used it to wash Charon’s face with water after he was knocked out from the grenade. She huffed, and then seen the blue material in the back of her backpack.Slowly she pulled out her vault suit with the one arm. She thumbed the dried blood on the shoulder with the ripped sleeved, recalling it was a feral ghoul she had ran into not long after escaping the vault. She had no idea what they were at the time, mistaking it for a sick person walking around. She was able to kill it, but only after it scratched and torn at her arm. She was surprised it didn’t leave scars.

Danny pulled out a smaller pocket knife in her pack that she kept for backup and cut off the other sleeve. She washed the dried blood off of the other arm and chest area and rung it out a bit. She quickly got undresses and unzipped the vault suit. It still fit as it did before, and she had to admit she missed wearing the suit that hugged her form so nicely instead of the baggy shirts she had been wearing. After putting her long hair back up, she strapped on her boots, slung her pack, and walked out.  
—————————

“Well! Theres my lone wonderer!” Three Dog shouted as she walked back into the room. “Miss one-oh-one! I havnt seen that suit in forever! It really fits you-and my stories.” He laughed as he pointed to the back of her vault suit numbers.

Charon turned to see Danny in the vault suit he had seen back at their hotel. The suit was snug on her skin and fit every curve as she continued to talk to Three Dog. Charon could slightly feel heat rising on the back of his neck a he watched her move in that suit. Danny had popped open another Nuka-cola, dropping the cap by accident, and bent over to pick it up. Charon quickly snapped his head, facing away from her. He tried to imagine her back in the loose fitting clothing, sweating a bit as he did. He may have been a ghoul, but he was still a man, and he realized that keeping this more business-like may be harder than he thought if she was going to wear that all the time.

“Anything I should know about Rivet city before we head that way?” Charon heard Danny ask as she gathered her things.

“Its heavily guarded, a well protected place. As long as you two behave I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about.” Three Dog winked, sitting down by a mic and large radio station with more buttons and controls than Charon had ever seen.Danny patted Three Dog on the shoulder and he gave her a quick side hug. He extended his hand out to Charon, which he unwittingly took, and shook a goodbye.

“Get fighting that god fight!” He yelled after then as they walked out of the station. “Keep my shinning star safe for me will ya!” He yelled after to Charon, which he, again, just grunted to.  
————————  
Waiting outside of the GNR building, Charon rummaged through his pack while Danny check her pip boy for the location of Rivet City. Her face was green in the light as she watched and clicked through locations. Charon suddenly realized a small problem as he sat his pack down, Danny noticed as she felt him staring at her.

“Yes?”

“…How many stimpaks and water bottles do you have left in your pack?” He asked as he realized he only had the one stimpak and no water in his own.

Danny grabbed her own bag and started to wildly rummage through it, realizing how short they were on supplies. “…one stimpak and two water bottles. Ugh..I’m an idiot, I knew I should had bought more while we were back in that city.” She said, scolding herself.

“We could always go back there to buy more supplies? I don’t think what we have is really enough…” She said.

Charon thought about it for a moment, trying to remember of any closer shops. “…If we went back to that city we stayed in it would delay the trip to Rivet city by another day. Not to mention I overheard the merchants talking about being low on medical supplies while I shopped around, so we would probably be there longer than we would like to.” He said. He really wish she didn’t use two stimpaks on him during the raider fight.

Danny tapped her chin. If she were more confident in her ability to survive out there by herself, this wouldn’t be a problem. They were lagging behind because of her, again. Danny sighed and then looked at her pip boy, using the controls to find another destination.

“Ok, heres a plan. Megaton is pretty close by, we can go there, stock up, and then be on our way to Rivet city in no time.” Danny said as she clicked on a spot on the screen.

“Megaton?”

Her face perked up from the pipboy. “Oh! yeah, its a cute little town. I actually have a small place that we can stay at and the people there are really relaxed…well, most of them.” She said, rolling her eyes a bit. She had already started walking in the direction her pip boy lead her in. Automatically, Charon’s arm reached out and gently grabbed her backpack, pulling her back a bit so they walked side by side.

He realized how odd it might have seemed and hurried for an excuse. “Cant protect you if you just start walking off in random directions.” He said, smoothly, trying to act as if he grabbed her on purpose and not on impulse.

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a sneaky smile while she messed with her pip boy as they walked. “Oh I get it, you just wanted to be closer to me.” She joked, elbowing him in the arm.

Charon did not get said joke. Instead, he swallowed hard while his brain went haywire. What exactly did she mean by that? Was she making fun of him? Were vault dwellers more upfront about their…feelings or whatever? He had to prove that he was not trying to get closer to her, especially if he wanted to show the firm line where they stood with the contract inbetween them.

So he scoffed and said in a tone of disgust, “not likely, smoothskin…” He didn’t look at her face to see her reaction, but he figured by the silence she wasn’t excited to hear him say that.  
————  
Danny was right, as it only took them maybe half an hour to get to the gates of Megaton. Large pieces of scrap metal created the large gates that protected to city, along with an automatron walking around the outside. Danny lead them through the gate and Charon was surprised to see it was as populated as this. Random civilians walked along the metal stairs to the homes and stores, and even had children running around playing.

Charon followed Danny's lead this time as she rounded the corner to a flight of rusted stairs. “We can stop by the house first and take a little break.” She said grabbing a small set of keys from her pocket.

“well now, finally decided to come back home?” a voice hollered up to them. Both Danny and Charon looked over the banister and Danny gave a wave. A dark skinned man stood tall down below holding an assault rifle and wearing what looked like a cowboy hat. Charon could see a star pinned to his jacket from where he stood.

“Simms! Its good to see you again.” She called, waving to him.

Simms caught Charon’s eye and Charon could tell he was sizing him up. He assumed he tried to play as some kind of leader figure to the city the way he held himself.

“Bringing strangers into my city?” Simms asked. He said it calmly enough but Danny knew it actually meant it. She reached her door and unlocked it quickly shoving Charon inside, with him making a small ‘hmp!’ from her push.

“Oh, This is just my friend Charon. He’s great I promise! in fact after we settle in I can introduce you, maybe at moriarty’s?” She said over the edge of the stairs. Simms expressions was stone cold. “I’ll buy the beer.” She sprinkled in.

Simms sighed and slowly walked off. “Be there by 6. I won’t stay a minuet later in that mans bar.” He shouted back.

Danny let out a sigh. Simms could be a very stern man when it came to strangers. She was going to introduce Charon of course, but didn’t know how. She would probably leave the whole slave thing out, Danny was sure Simms liked her enough and didn’t want to ruin it. She heard a crash coming from inside the house snatching her from her thoughs and ran in.

yanking the metal door opened, she looked at the culprits. Charon held Wadsworth against the wall with one hand, the other trying to hold back a saw that spun from one of Wadsworth metal arms.

Danny quickly jumped in. “Wadsworth stop! He’s ok, thats Charon! He’s not a threat!” She yelled scooting in between them and (barely) missing the saw. The saw stoped instantly when Danny came into view. The robot seemed to change moods at once.

“Madame! Its good to finally see you again!” Wadsworth said hovering over to her and handing out a clean water bottle. 

“I’m sorry, He’s protective of the house. I should had walked in first to introduce you.” She handed Charon the water bottle which he declined of course.

“Any friend of miss Danny’s is a friend of mine!” wadsworth buzzed, forgetting all about trying to kill Charon two seconds ago.

Danny patted Wadsworth softly and gave an apologetic smile to Charon. “wadsworth why don’t you go ahead and make that second room livable for our friend here?” She asked.

“Right away madame!” He saluted and hovered upstairs, leaving the two finally alone. Danny tossed her bag on the torn couched in a small living room and sat down next to it, untying her boots.

“Its not much, but its better than most. The spare room can be yours, it got another bed but feel free to do whatever else you want to it. Moira will probably have a small dresser we can buy for your stuff…” Danny rambled on. 

Charon observed the house. The walls had multiple holes which gave the sunlight room to spread out in. The living room had a small recliner to the side and the couch Danny sat on with a coffee table littered with books and torn pieces of maps with words in random places probably marking a destination. He seen the museum of history was circled and ‘Underworld’ written underneath it. The living room stretched out into a small kitchen with a fridge and mini dinning table with plates stacked on top. Lockers laid against the wall in the kitchen with some of the doors open and random items reveled. It was small, cramped but…comfortable. It reminded him of Danny already.

Danny watched him as he observed and slowly walked around. “Its a bit messy..” She said, rubbing the back of her neck. She wished she cleaned before leaving.

He glanced down at her on the couch. “…its great.”

Danny gave a smile and set her boots to the side. “I never know if you’re being sarcastic or not.”

Charon gave her a small smile in return as he leaned against the wall. “It’ll keep you on your toes then.” 

Wadsworth floated down the stairs, humming as he did. “Madame! The room has been prepared for our guest! May I ask, how long is he staying?”

Danny and Charon looked at each other for an awkward moment. Charon turned his gaze, suddenly feeling like a burden. 

“Well, for as long as Charon wishes.” She said, smiling and heading to the fridge. She pulled out two Nuka-colas and handed him one. Charon sighed and reached out. Their fingers grazed for a moment.

“Is that ok with you?” Charon looked into her eyes. He actually looked this time, and noticed how crystal blue they were unlike his foggy ones. Her hair was still tied up, but pieces of blonde curls spilled over her forehead. His finger that touched hers tingled and he realized how close she stood next to him, unfazed. His mouth was dry so he quickly popped open the drink and took a sip.

“…yes.” He spit out, wishing he would just say more.

She nodded her head and also took a sip. “Good enough for me.” She headed back to the couch and sat down, closing her eyes and feeling her muscles relax for the first time in a while. Charon walked over and sat down on the recliner that automatically reclined without his say so. He felt awkward in the broken chair, and was honestly to big for it. He heard a giggle and his eyes snapped over to Danny who had one eye opened, watching him struggle. She patted the other side of the couch.

“You might be more comfortable over here. Sorry, that things been broken for some time now.” 

He shifted around a bit, trying to get free from the broken chair. He finally did and decided to go back to his spot by the wall, tossing his empty Nuka-cola bottle in the trash by the fridge. Danny watched his movement and realized how antsy he seemed. 

“Charon, is there any way I can make you more…comfortable?” She dared to ask. She could tell by his panicked expression she wouldn’t get a real answer out of him. She stood up, waving her hands a bit to try and backpedal. She needed to go slow with this topic.

“Ok wait, before you start over thinking about… you know, the contract and all, lets just talk the best we can about this. I said we would figure it out right?” She said, trying to get him to talk more. He just stood on his wall, Danny noticing his fingers gripping his crossed arms tightly.

“Are you uncomfortable here?” she asked softly.

He looked around the kitchen instead of her. She had given him permission to talk before, now was the time to try and speak his mind more. “…I am fine. If you are worried about my comfort just know, it is a huge improvement over my last resident.”

“What, you mean the bar?” She scoffed. “I hope this is better. If I’m ever on Ahzrukhals level please let me know so I can kick my own ass.” She tried to make things a bit lighter and to get another smile out of him that she so badly wanted to see.

“Trust me,” He said, and it was the most serious look she had ever seen on his face, beating even when he was still under Azhzrukhals hand, “…Any place is better than the ninth circle. So far, you have definitely surpassed his level.” 

“So far huh?” She laughed. He did not. 

She cleared her throat a little trying to clear the air and decided to change the subject, they’ve talked about Ahzrukhal enough for today. “So, the man from before is Lucas Simms. You could say he’s the mayor around here. He’s a good guy, just strict on a few things, wants to make sure everybody knows that to.” She said as she grabbed another pair of boots, brown ones this time, to put back on.

“He’s going to want to meet you, make sure you’re not crazy or whatever so I told him we would meet up at the bar in town at 6. You can meet the other people here to! Theres even another ghoul, Gob, did you know him? Carol is his mother.” She went on.

The name was familiar, but didn’t leave a huge impact in his brain. He felt a bit uneasy going out in public in a strange town. It was usually never a real pleasant experience especially with random smooth skins but it looked like he didn’t really have a choice. Danny finished getting her shoes back on and her grabbed her pack once again.

“Wadsworth, keep the place in good shape for us!” She called out as they walked out the door.  
———————  
Gob finished cleaning up the beer someone tipped over quick. He didn’t want Moriarty knowing alcohol was wasted. He rang out the washcloth in a bucket under the table as he heard someone sit on the stools at the bar. He bumped his head on the countertop on his way up, wincing in pain as his eyes met blue ones. 

“D-Danny!” He smiled, rubbing the top of his head. “I haven’t seen you in foooorr-“ He said, dragging out his words as he seen Charon pulling up a seat next to her. Gobs eyes flashed from Danny to Charon before pleading with Danny to give him an explanation.

She cleared her throat. “Gob, Charon.” She said waving her hand next to her as an introduction. Danny watched as Gob tried to swallow.

“We’ve met…” He mustered the courage to say. He checked behind him to see if Moriarty was in sight, and pulled out two beers. “Here-they’re on the house, just keep it between us….and its good to see you out of the ninth circle.” He said, giving a small smile to both of them. Charon gave him a nod as thanks as Danny protested, shoving caps in Gobs shirt pocket.She patted the caps in his chest as Charon watched them laugh together. There she went again, touching another ghoul like it was nothing. Charon had never seen a smooth skin be so comfortable with ghouls, especially a vault dweller. Maybe she was just to caring for her own good. Another voice came from the stairs as a redheaded woman stumbled down, flattening her skirt as she did. 

“Oh Danny, its good to finally know you’re not dead.” She said, walking up and giving her a tight hug around Danny’s shoulders. Danny’s face was squashed in the woman arms. The woman glanced around Danny’s head to looked at Charon, sipping back the free beer. Novas smile vanished.

“Whos tall, dark, and gloomy here?”

Danny escaped her arms. “Nova, this is Charon. He’s my traveling partner.”

Nova’s eyes widened. “Whats a big ghoul like yourself traveling with a young girl for?” she asked, hands now on her hips. It was probably the jet talking for her making her seem a bit more straightforward than usual. Danny looked at Gob and he he gave her an apologetic look.

Charon just glared at her before Danny could speak. “Protecting her ass.” He spat, tossing Gob more caps for another beer. He still had the caps Danny had given him and he was sure he would need some alcohol to get through the night. Nova gave a snort and bent closer so the rest of the bar couldn’t hear.

“Protecting her ass or just keeping a reaaaallly close eye on it?” She asked. Charon choked on his beer and Gob almost dropped a glass, already turning red.

“Nova!” Danny yelped, jumping from her stool. She knew what she was implying, but realized she wasn’t in the best state of mind tonight. Gob softly grabbed Novas arms.

“I’ll take her to bed, I think its been a rough night…” He said to Danny as he walked Nova back to the stairs with Nova whispering sweet nothings in his ears. Gob ignored them as he took her to her room.

“..Sorry, she uh…”

“Is a prostitute?” Charon guessed, cleaning up the beer he spilt on his shirt. “One who has to use chems or whatever to cope.”

Danny gave him a small smile. “You’re pretty smart….She’s a good person. Its just been a bad night I guess. “ She said as her eyes followed Gob to Nova's room, her body leaning a little on his side as he helped her in.

“…You put a lot of time into people who don’t deserve it.” Charon said, surprised at himself for saying it. He was getting annoyed at the way Nova and even Simms spoke to Danny, he was sure they had no idea what she had been going through in the wastelands. He realized the beer was probably relaxing him a little to much. Danny raised her brow to him.

“What makes you think they don’t deserve it?” She asked. He thought for a moment, finishing the second beer in just two gulps.

“…They just don’t look or act very worthy.” He answered as he grabbed more caps out for another drink. 

Danny stared at her bottle, and for a moment Charon was sure he said something that changed her mind on the ‘speak freely’ rule. “Well, you didn’t look very deserving of my time back in the underworld. And you sure as hell didn’t act like you deserved it either.” She said, sipping her drink slowly as she let the words sink into him. 

The bell on the door jingled as Simms stepped in right on time, Danny’s pip boy read six o’clock sharp. He strode over to Danny who shook his gloved hand and asked Gob for another beer. They made small talk as he got comfortable, but the man wasted no time as he locked eyes with Charon.

“So you’re traveling partners with Danny? I’ll give you the same speech I gave her then-This here is my town. These are my people. You as much as breathe wrong, and I’m gonna fuckin end ya.” He said, giving no sign of hesitation as He and Charon had a stare down. Danny felt awkward in between and played with her empty bottle.

Simms slammed his own drink down, empty in almost one gulp. He wiped his beard and his face was a bit kinder after that beer. “ I trust Danny here though, so you must be a decent man.” Simms said and held a gloved hand out to Charon. He took it and they shook once. “I don’t mean to come off as an asshole, its just the way the world is now.”

“Understood.” Charon said, unfazed,

Simms pointed a finger to him as he looked at Danny. “Doesn’t say much, I like him so far.” He gave her a small pat on the back and stood from his spot. “I wanted to make this quick, check you out and all. Im heading back home. If you two ever need anything let me know.” He strode out leaving them at the bar with bellies full of beer.

They stayed a little while longer chitchatting with Gob before finally heading back to the small home. Danny walked in first this time to comfort Wadsworth. She went upstairs to check on something and change out of the vault suit. Charon finally got relaxed on the couch as she came back down the stairs. 

“Hey, Wadsworth finished your room, do you wanna check it out?” She asked. Charon stood and looked. Danny wore a simple tank top with cotton pants that she cut into sleeping shorts. Its the most skin she had revealed to him and he could feel his face burn slightly the more he stared. He coughed and nodded a yes as he followed her up the stares, her bare legs never leaving his sight. He tugged at the hem of his shirt and wanted to slap himself. He knew what was coming over him, but he didn't like it one bit.

“Like I said, we can find a dresser maybe tomorrow before we leave to Rivet city.” She said as she let him in the room. It was next to hers, on the other side of the wall. All that occupied the room as a bed with two blankets piled on top laid next to a window. Charon sat down on the bed, laying his rifle at the edge and taking off his boots. He looked up to still see Danny handing outside of the door.

“You know….I wished we were traveling together under different circumstances.” She started. He gave her a puzzled look and she continued. “ I just mean I don’t want you to think of me as your employer all the time. Earlier today you said I wasn’t like Ahzrukhal ....so far. Do you really think I will be one day?”

He looked down and continued to untie his boots. The beers defiantly made him feel more at easy, but now talking about this made his hands sweat a bit in his fingerless gloves. If he really wanted to keep this as causal as ever, now was the time. He had to lay down how this all worked before something got out of hand, and he knew that something was him.

“You asked me if you surpassed Ahzrukhals level of kindness. You have, immensely. But you are still an employer, wither we both want you to be or not.” He said seriously, but in a soft tone. He glanced back up at her and let out a sigh. “My employers change eventually. It is all in due time before you do to.” He was deadpan.

Danny had never been so offended. She understood his way of thinking, and she felt guilty for even being mad but she couldn’t help it. Her eyebrpws knitted together a bit as she shook her head. “Well...you’re wrong, and in due time I'll prove it to you.” She said, arms crossed and eyes piercing.

Charon stood this time and walked to the door. She didn’t move, she couldn't, she didn’t want to look weak in front of him. He hovered over her and they stared at each other for a moment, trying to figure out who would break first.

“I have been with many employers who have done many horrible things. Some started out just as kind as you. As far as Im concerned, you are all the same.” 

She wasn’t expecting it to hurt that bad. Her expression concealed, not wanting to let him know just how much that sentence effected her. Instead she turned and walked to the other room without another word. Shutting her door she walked over to her bed where she laid down with her face in the pillow.  
She was not a slave owner. She was not Ahzrukhal. She was not like any of them. Danny felt the tears stream down her face as she quietly laid curled on her bed. Maybe she was just trying to hard with Charon. Maybe she tried to hard with everyone. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t just stick to the name given to her by Three Dog and travel by herself like the Lone wanderer she was suppose to be. Danny turned to face the wall and pulled the covers over her face, turning on the radio on her pip boy to quietly lulled her to sleep.  
———————————————————

 

Gerold’s knuckles connected with the rookies cheek and sent him to the ground, blood dribbling out of his mouth. Gerold stared at the man under him, his greasy brown hair covering the bruise he will most defiantly have in the morning. 

“That is for letting a ghoul and some little girl get away with half of our shit.” He said, kicking the body away from him. “Now, get up Tony.” Gerold demanded.

The rookie, Tony, hurried to stumble up as he tried to control his legs. He stood with Gerold hovering about a foot higher than him. Tony always was the short one. Gerold reached into his pocket and dug out a cigarette for himself and he snapped his fingers.

“Look at me Tony. I’m going to give you another chance to avenge the two dead companions you let die out there and to get my shit back. You were leading that scavenger hunt, and since you’re the only one alive this all falls on you.” Gerold said as he thumped Tony in between his eyes.

“One more chance Tony. If you can’t find them in a week, then you better have a good place to hide.” Gerold threatened as he walked out the door of the raiders hide out. It was a good place, an abandoned workshop that was large enough for him and his crew. Tony glared a hole into the spot where Gerold stood. He wished the would had been able to convince the other two to follow him, to maybe even overthrow Gerold and his overbearing ass. Tony spit out more blood and wiped his chin.He limped out of the door trying to formulate a plan. He walked out and seen a tuff of brown hair hiding behind one of the barrels by the door. Tony sighed and tried to hide the blood on his face.

“Sammie…I know you’re hiding.” Tony managed to say, his cheek throbbing. The tuff of brown hair peeked around the barrel, showing puffy cheeks that belonged to a younger boy.

“….Are you alright.” Sammie asked.

“Never better. How many times do I have to tell you not to spy on your brothers conversations?” Tony said, glaring at the boy. Sammie squirmed a bit.

“…Are you leaving again?” Sammie asked.

Tony didn’t answer for a bit. “…Yeah. I’ve got to go find some people and get our stuff back. But I’ll be done before you know it.” He said trying to reassure the boy. “Then once I’m done, we can get out of this place.”

“Thats what dad used to say.” Sammie replied, walking off. Tony cringed at the thought of their father, it was his fault that they were still stuck in this raider gang with Gerold as the shitty leader. Tony hated it here. He hated that Sammie was here. If he ever want to leave and get his revenge on Gerold, he had to continue working for him first.Tony gathered a few supplies and two more men to help him scout out their targets. They would leave in the morning. How hard would it be to ind a seven foot ghoul with a blonde sidekick anyways?


	8. The apology

Charon had been laying awake in his bed for some time now. The sunlight that peeked through the holes in the walls in the room woke him up but he couldn’t find the confidence to actually move. His words from last night filled his head, and so did Danny’s face. There was no way she would want to keep him around after speaking so bluntly to her. He cringed at himself as he remembered her walking off, tears at the corner of her eyes. He finally sat up, popping his back and neck. This was for the best anyways, she was to kind for the people out in the wastelands and he knew she would eventually just get walked on or killed if she tried playing nice with everybody she met. Maybe she should give his contract to another, he would be able to try and get her out of his head and be free of the worry she gave him. He knew it would be hard though. They had only spend so much time with each other but Danny was something else to him, it would be hard to forget a face like that.

Charon tied his boots and stood, preparing to face his day with Danny when he stopped. He detected a scent that made what little hairs he had on his neck stand. Blood. He bolted out the door to immediately find Danny.  
————————  
Danny woke up clenching her stomach. She groaned and rolled her eyes as she slowly sat up right and tossed the covers off of her body. 

“Mother fucker…” She grumbled, looking at the red stain she sat on. She tossed her legs over the bed, holding her cramping stomach as she did and covering her bottom half with the blanket. Danny hobbled over to her backpack that she tossed on the floor last night and rummaged through it. She pulled out a hand stitched cotton pad, realizing it was her last one. She would have to go into town later to see if Moira had more cotton she could use. If there was one thing she truly hated about the wastelands, it was finding something to stop her monthly bleeding. At least she was home this time and not out where the ferasl could smell her.

While trying to find a new pair of under wear Danny nearly jumped through the walls as her door was shoved opened and Charon stood, looking franticly around. He spotted her and his eyes followed the trail of blood from her bed to where Danny stood now. In two steps he was hovering over her.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” He questioned, grabbing her arms and trying to see where the blood was coming from as she held the blanket around her tight.

“Charon WHAT the hell are you freaking out about?” Danny squeaked. She had escaped his grip and turned around in a circle as he copied her movements trying to find her ‘wound’.

“The blood. You’re obviously hurt, let me help you.” He said, not meaning to back her up against the wall.it was his job to make sure she didn’t bleed to death. Why the hell was she being so stubborn over this?

Danny’s cheeks turned a deep red as she realized he had no idea what was going on. Was she really about to explain a period to a grown ass man? Danny let out a nervous laugh and put her hand on his chest. He didn’t wear his leather armor, so Charon could feel the heat from her palm. He hopped she couldn’t feel his heart leap.

“Charon, I am completely fine. I’m not hurt. This is..uh, you know. normal.” She explained, using her hands to show the blanket around her waist.

He just stared at her when the realization hit him. His eyes darted back to the bed then to the blanket she had wrapped around her. He stepped back about five feet, his face turning the same color as Danny’s out of embarrassment. He said a rushed sorry and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Charon hunched against the door with his face in his hands.

What the fuck is wrong with him. How did it not catch on to him that it was her monthly. She was probably disgusted with him, thinking he was some kind of blood sucking monster that could smell her blood like the ferals outside. He did feel like a monster, a really stupid one. He sighed, sliding off the door and headed down stairs already dreading the rest of the day.

Danny came downstairs about an hour or so later, her stomach still cramping and her mood on edge. With everything that had happened since last night, she just wanted to go back to bed. Walking down the stairs her eyes met Charons who sat on the couch cleaning his gun and the hunting rifle they took from those raiders not long ago. He had all of their loot from that fight laid across the coffee table neatly. Three grenades, two siimpaks, another 10 mm pistol like Dannys and a pulse grenade along with a few other random items. Danny walked up to it and picked up the smallest item on the table.

“A key?” she asked twisting it in her fingers.

Charon grunted. “It was from the female raider. They must have a safe somewhere with more weapons. They probably had a camp close to that gas station.” 

“hm…well, maybe one of these days we’ll go back and see if we can find the lock this key goes to.” She said, trying to make light conversation. She truly had no interest in anything those raiders had, and hopefully never had to think about them again. 

Danny sighed as she looked in the kitchen for something to calm her stomach. “Well, Im sure you know by now that we’re stuck here for at least two more days. I don’t think I’ll be of much help in this situation I’m in.” She said turning to look at him. She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things, but his cheeks seemed a bit pinker.

She turned away, facing the sink and groaned softly as her stomached cramped again. The first day was always the worst. Charon seen her in distress, he wasn’t sure if he should worry as much as he secretly was.

“Charon I have to go to the bar really quick and talk to Nova, I need to see if she has any extra….supplies I can have.” Danny said from the sink. She hated talking to him about this, it was so awkward. She heard him stand from the couch and walk over.

“You do not seem well. I will go, you should stay here and rest more.” He offered. He felt like a jackass about last night and a fool from this morning, the least he could do to make up was offer to run her errand for her. Danny went to protest before shutting her mouth, thinking it over. 

She glanced over her shoulder at him.” Are you sure?”

“Positive.” 

Danny smiled and turned to hug him, but stopped half way. She was about to just jump into something again. Last nights conversation rang in her head. He didn’t want her attention, not like that. So instead, she put her hand on his chest again, patting it a bit. She felt him stiffen under her touch.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” She said giving a bit of an awkward smile. “Just ask Nova for some…monthly items for me ok. She’ll know what you mean.” 

He nodded and turned to walk out without another word, leaving Danny to curl up on the couch with wadsworth making her breakfast.  
————————  
The bell rang above the bar as Charon walked in. He felt odd not being anywhere with Danny and he didnt like the looks he recieved from the people at their seats. He walked up to the counter to see Gob who stood frozen at Charon’s gaze and a man Charon did not see from last night.

The mans eyebrows raised at Charon walked up to the counter. “Holy shit, you’re a big boy aren't ya?” He laughed. The man had white hair, a dirty merc outfit, and apparently a lot of confidence in his words. Charon hated him already. 

“Colin Moriarty, welcome to my bar. We’ve got everything from booze to women to-“

“The woman that was here last night, I need to speak with her.” Charon said, cutting him off. Moriarty froze, shocked that someone would have an attitude with him in his bar. He chuckled and stroked his beard a bit.

“ahh I see, so women it is. You came to the right place, but it’ll cost ya.” He said, winking at Charon. “Nova!” He shouted up the stairs, making Gob almost drop the glass he was cleaning.

The redhead came out of a room, a cigarette in her hand and displeasure on her face. She walked about half way down the stairs when she seen Charon but no Danny. She didn’t meet his stare, like she tried to ignore his presence entirely. 

“What is it Moriarty.” She said in a lazy tone puffing on the stick.

“Our tall friend here would like to see you.” He said walking up to her. He bend close but Charon could hear better than he realize as Moriarty whispered something about charging extra for ghouls. Charon stomach turned and he could see Gob look like he might actually break the glass from strain. 

“I am not here for that.” Charon spat causing Moriartys good mood to turn a bit sour. 

“look big man, its either buy some alcohol or buy some time with Nova here, this isn’t a meet and greet.” He said back cooly, that dirty grin on his face still.

Charon took one step forward, his foggy eyes burning straight through Moriartys blue ones. Charon was on a mission and he wasn’t going to let this poor excuse stand in his way. Charon didnt know if it was his anger issues he was sure he had or the bar setting that reminded him of Ahzrukhal but he was just about to ring Moriartys neck before Nova spoke.

“Look Moritarty, Im going on my break anyways so cut the guy some slack.”

Moriarty stood there, eyeing Charon a second longer before agreeing. “You get five minuets, don’t forget it. You’re not here to talk about the weather.” He demanded and walked into the back, taking a bottle of booze with him. The tension on the room disappeared just a bit, Gob was able to breath again.

Charon looked back at the woman.” ….Im here for Danny. She said to ask you for..monthly…items..” He said, mumbling as he spoke. Nova raised her brow and gave a confused look.

“You what hun?” She asked, as Charon struggled to speak about this. He let out a loud sigh, his eyes closed. This was more difficult then he thought.

“…Monthly items. For Danny.” He said, a bit louder this time. Novas eyes popped open and she took another drag off of her cigarette, trying to hide her laugh. 

“Hang on hun.” She giggled, walking back up the stairs. Charon walked over to the barstools. He wondered if all the women outside of the underworld made things this troublesome. Gob walked up to him, his gaze on Charon’s shoulder instead of eye contact.

“…y-you thirsty?” He asked. Charon decided to order a beer while he waited. They stood there for a moment, not sure of what to say before Gob spoke up again.

“So..did you..I mean is Ahzrukhal .. you know?” Gob tried to ask quietly. Charon knew what he was asking, he was sure it was what every ghoul wanted to ask him once they seen him walk out of the ninth circle. Everyone knew Charon hated the bastard, and if given the chance wouldn’t hesitate to kill him off.  
Charon drank his beer and nodded, feeling a bit of pride when thinking about it. Gob smiled a bit and went back to cleaning the countertop. Nova finally came back down stairs and walked over to Charon, handing him a small box wrapped in white cloth. 

“Here, tell her I hope I hope she’s feeling better.” She said, handing it to him. Charon gave Gob some caps (Extra for a tip) and gave Nova a single thanks as he walked out of the door. As he walked outside he heard the door open back behind him with Nova stepping out. She glanced at him nervously and then out past the banister, the cigarette still hanging out of her mouth.

“...I wanted to apologize for the other night. “ She said out to the distance. Her voice was genuine and it made Charon feel uneasy again. He hated apologies. Charon faced her, waiting just in case she wanted to continue.

She tossed the butt of her cigarette off the ledge and looked at him. “silent type huh?” She asked sarcastically trying to loosen the mood.

“It wasn’t a big deal” He said, wanting to speed this up. 

“I still shouldn’t have implied anything like that. I know Danny wasn’t very happy with me. She seems to like you though.”

“Nothing was implied.” He said, a little aggravated that it was being brought back up again. Nova gave him a smirk.

“Thats not how it looked to Danny when I said it.” She said, making Charon huff and turn around heading towards the stairs. 

“Wait! Wait, hang on…lets start over.” She sighed. She didn’t seemed to be very interested in actually making amends, Charon figured she was doing this just to be back on Danny’s good side. She held her hand out to him as he stoped with his foot on the stairs.

“I’m Nova” She waited for him to shake her hand. Charon looked at her hand then back to her face with disinterest. 

“Charon.” He said, turning again to walk down the stairs and leaving her with her hand stretch-out. He heard her scoff ad lean back on the banister wondering why Danny picked him up in the first place.  
———————  
Charon quietly opened the door to Danny’s home. He figured she went back to her room after he left and started to head for it when he seen blonde locks off the edge of the couch. 

Danny laid there, asleep again. She was curled up in a ball with a thin blanket and he watched her from the other side of the room as she breathed slowly. His legs moved quietly over to her, avoiding any sound as he sat the box on the coffee table. He went to leave her alone to get more rest when he looked back down at her and was trapped.

Her long hair wrapped over the edge of the couch, the holes in the walls bringing the sunlight to stream into it, making it look like threads of gold.Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the blanket and her mouth was parted just a little as she slept. Charon tried to drag his gaze away from her, but it was to late.

She was beautiful. He finally admitted it to himself. He had been trying to avoid all thoughts about her like this for a while now but he knew eventually he would succumb to them, what man wouldn’t with a smoothskin. Charon softly sat down on the coffee table, his face in one of his hands as he sat hunched over. His words from last night rand through his ears again and the regret bubbled inside him. He needed to say it though, and she needed to hear it. She was to nice, to caring to a ghoul like him. 

If only she knew the things he had done. Charon knew he was undeserving of her attitude. He deserved to be stuck in hell with Ahzrukhal back at the ninth circle until he rots. He loathed himself for her getting stuck with him, and if he could go back in time to stop her from taking his contract he would. Charon cracked open one of his eyes to see Danny’s blue ones staring back with heavy lids. He quickly removed his hand from his face, not sure how long she had been up.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” He said softly, as if she was still sleeping. She smiled lazily to him and closed her eyes again, still tired.

“I was just resting my eyes a bit is all…thank you for getting those by the way, I hope Nova didn’t give you to much trouble again.” She yawned.

Air came out of Charon’s nose as he stuffed a laugh. “She…apologized.” Danny’s eyes shot open.

“Really now? Guess theres a first for everything.” She said cracking another smile at him. Charon wanted to excuse himself to give her some alone time but her smile stopped him, making him immobile. He knew what he was going to say next and tried to keep the words bottled up inside of his mouth but he couldnt hold it back, and his words spilled out.

“..Danny. I’m also sorry for last night.” He was apologizing and had no idea why. This was the exact opposite of what he needed to be doing. Looking at her face he couldn’t help it, he wanted to let her know he didn’t truly feel the same as he said last night.

“You are not like any other employer I’ve had and…” He said, trying to find the right words, “ and I’m not really sure how to handle it... How to handle you treating me like this.”

Danny slowly sat up, not realizing one of the straps on her shirt fell on her shoulder a bit and Charon’s eyes following it intensely. He swallowed hard.“ You deserve to be treated just like everybody else, and I’ll make damn sure that you are. I think you’re a great guy Charon, and I’m willing to prove it, even to yourself.” She said, and she reached out to lay her hand on top of his, realizing she did without thinking and took it away again. 

"I'm sorry Im a bit..intense at times, I'll try to keep it cool Charon." She said, laughing at herself and blushing slightly.

His name in her mouth sent chills down his spine and His skin felt like it was on fire by her touch. He tried to calm down a bit. “You are more intense, thats true...I’ve definitely never worked this hard to keep an employer safe either.” A corner of his mouth turned up a bit as he tried to hide a smile, thinking of her rushing into things. “But you are…the best employer. A bit foolish sometimes, and you don’t think a lot of things through” Danny glared at him now and he suppressed a laugh,” but definitely the best. I look forward to helping you on your missions.” it was the most genuine thing he had every said to an employer, or to anyone else really.

Danny beamed at him and couldn’t control it anymore as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. Charons heart leaped into his throat and for a moment he couldn’t breath. He hadn’t touched a smooth skin this much in…well he wasn’t sure how long. He knew it had been forever. Her touched made his nerves go haywire and his hands were suspended by his waist, unsure of how to react.

“Thank you for that Charon, it means the world to me.”  
He was sure he was sweating. He knew she could feel him shake a bit under her tiny frame. She didn’t let go, he was trapped. There was no escaping this affection so he did the only thing he could think to do. He let his arms slowly wrap around her waist. His arms touched her back but he didn’t apply all of his pressure around her so it was more of an awkward hug. Charon started to calm down and ever so slowly laid his chin on top of her golden nest, breathing calmly.

She really was going to make this harder than he thought as they sat there for a little while longer in each others arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel bad for the girls in these types of video games, I always wonder what they do in when it comes to having your period in a destroyed world with no pads/tampons?? I figured SOMEONE had to be making their own, I know I would lol. BUT, we're Finally getting somewhere with these two! Thanks for reading and please ignore any errors!


	9. The Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this one took a bit longer to upload, I really wanted to add in a little bit of somethin (Wink wink) and decided to start here. I hope you guys like it!
> 
> ** This chapter has mentions of abuse

Charon watched as Danny hit the last can off of the rocks he had set up for her with the hunting rifle they took from the raiders. She brought her face back from aiming with the biggest smug look on her face.

“Three in a row, not bad.” He said, trying to sound uncaring. He was actually pretty proud of her, but he didn’t want the praise to go to her head. That smug look she gave was already dangerous. 

They decided to stay in Megaton for three more days to make sure Danny was able to travel again without Ferals easily sniffing her out. During their mini vacation they spiced up Charon’s bedroom a little bit by getting him a dresser like Danny had said before, stocked up on items ( with Danny introducing Charon to Moira, much to his demise) and practice their shooting. Charon taught Danny the ins and outs of how to use a gun and what she needed to do to actually hit a target and he was surprised at how much of a fast learner she was.

When they first agreed to stay in Megaton, Charon started to overthink it. He was worried, what the hell was he going to talk about with her while they were stuck here for three days? He never really had ‘conversations’ with his employers, so he tried to prepare enough words for them for the whole three days. Thankfully, he realized Danny was great at making things seem more natural. Conversation wasn’t forced or one sided like when they first met. She merely asked questions about survival, guns, and of course about Charon. Sometimes he would answer her and they would have a decent discussion about himself, other times it would just be one or two words and he would worry if it was enough for her. It always was, she never pushed anything out of him and he felt more relaxed.  
\------------------------------  
It was their last night in Megaton when he had mad her laugh again (Which he found out he did a lot without trying, but loved to hear it anyways) when she put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. He stiffened again but not as much as he used to. She still caught on and quickly took her hand back.

“Sorry If I’m to touchy. Back in the vaults everything was so tightly cornered, you were always bumping into someone else. There wasn’t a lot of us either, everybody knew each other so I think it was easier to show affection. Well, to some people.” She had explained to him that day. 

He thought on that. It connected the dots as to why her hands always seemed to be on him in some way. No smooth skin in their right mind would want to put their hands on a ghoul, but that just seemed to be her nature and as much as his body stiffened, he caught himself longing for her touch more and more.

“…I don’t mind it.” He told her. They talked while they sat next to each other on the front steps of Danny’s home as they sipped a couple of beers. Charon had nudged her shoulder with his own after that to show, in his own way, that he was telling the truth. A half smile was hidden behind the bottle she drank out of.

On the fourth morning Charon was packed and ready to head out to Rivet city like they had planned. He waited for Danny to come downstairs for a little while getting tired of wadsworth's whirling and trying to make conversation with him. Charon finally had enough and walked upstairs, seeing her door open just a smidge and tapped on her door with his knuckles lightly.

“You can come in.” 

Charon took the invitation and opened her door all the way. He looked down to see her bed was pushed away from the wall with Danny on her knees trying to pry a piece of floor board up with a crowbar. He went to question her when he seen the yellow paper next to her boot.

Danny continued to pry the wood until a single plank was released. “So, I was thinking about this all last night when I couldn’t sleep. I thought it would be safer hidden here then out on the road with us where someone could steal it.” She said, placing the contract gently under the floorboard. Charon felt like he was watching her dig his grave and stuffing his body under her bed. He hated the connection he felt with that cursed paper.

“Well, do you think this is a good idea? Its only for now, until we can find a safe or something to put it in…” Danny asked, unsure of Charon’s blank expression.

Slowly he walked over and bent down next to her. He took another look at the paper snug in the hole before he took the piece of floorboard and placed it down. With the same crowbar Danny used he knocked the nails back in as best as he could.

“Would be better with a hammer.” He said, finally eyeing her with a smirk as they both stood to move the bed back in place over the board. Satisfied with their secret they gathered their bags and headed for the door.

They stoped to say their goodbyes to Nova and Gob before heading out. Danny bought a bottle of scotch from the bar ‘for emergencies’ she had told Charon with a wink. He instantly felt flushed as he thought to hard about her words as they walked out. Danny stated that according to her pipboy, they would probably reach the city in about a day and a half and that was of course if they made a straight shot there and avoided any problems. At first, they were pretty lucky. Once they hit the metro station again (to avoid any mutants) they were face to face with ferals. They were prepared this time, and Danny even managed to get two headshots on them.   
\-----------------------------------  
Hours went by as the trip continued and with every step Danny’s legs started to feel like rubber. Her hands were calloused and had blistered from using her gun this much. She looked over to Charon who strode tall and at the same pace as when they left, leaving Danny to wonder how he did it. He looked so focused as kept his eyes on the road ahead and Danny noticed how toned his arms were as he clutched his shotgun close to his body.

Danny stumbled over herself as she realized where her mind was going. Charon noticed and stopped, offering a hand to help her get her balance back. Danny blushed, not sure if she was embarrassed by her mind or how stupid she looked as she took his hand, hoping the wouldn’t notice the change of color in her face.

“You look a bit overheated…maybe we should find a place to stop before it gets dark.” Apparently he did notice, but thought she was red for other reasons which gave Danny a bit of relief. She checked the time on her pip boy reading 7:36.

“That might be a good idea.” She agreed as they walked on to look for a safe spot to stay. They had two options, the first one being Danny’s idea which was looking inside one of the many abandoned buildings around them. Charon disagreed saying how bigger in not always better when it came to finding a spot to stay in, so they went with the second option which was Charon’s idea. A small trailer was parked out by some of the buildings and hidden by debris but still in complete shape for them to rest in. Charon sat traps around the trailer just in case, and once he was happy with the results he joined Danny inside where she had lit a few candles for them to see. The sun was now down so the light was appreciated. Inside there was an old mattress, a small table, a couple of chairs with old newspapers scattered around.Danny had unwrapped a tiny sleeping bag she had strapped to her pack and laid it next to the mattress.

“I can’t let you just sleep on the floor” Charon started as he sat down on one of the chairs, stretching out his legs. 

“Sorry, you’re to big for this sleeping bag, so you get the bed.” She said as she continued to straighten out the bag on the floor.

Charon rolled his eyes but wasn’t really surprised, he had a feeling she would say something like that. “Why are you so damn stubborn.”

“Should you really be talking back to your mistress like that?” Danny mused, giving him a smile as she unbuckled her boots and then to take off her armor. Charon caught on to her joke as he seen her smile at him darkly.

Charon took a sip from a water bottle he packed for them as he gave her a small huff. “What are you going to do-punish me?” He said, playing along.

“Only if you’re into that kind of stuff.” She had said, before she had time to think about it. She froze in-between unbuckling her armor and stared at the floor, her eyes wide and her cheeks begining to burn. She OBVIOUSLY had been spending to much time around Nova.

Charon had to clear his throat from the water he was drinking. He made an odd sound that was a mix between a laugh and a cough that made him almost choke as he hit his chest with his fist to help clear it. He tried not to look at her at first because he knew she was taken aback from her own words but also because the thought of Danny ‘punishing’ him in that way would surely drive him up the wall and he didn’t wanted her to see how flustered he was.

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and she hid her red face a bit. “Oh God, forgive me I didn’t mean to make things awkward.” she snorted in her hands. 

“Whatever you say, mistress” He laughed, wiping the rest of the water from his dried mouth. Danny had crumpled up one of the news papers and tossed it at him.

After they calmed down and relaxed Charon caved and took the bed like Danny said. Danny watched the light from the candles dance around the trailer as she tried to brush the knots out of her hair with her fingers, Charon watching from above her. They talked softly, trying not to make to much noise. 

“You know, I feel like I’ve been bugging you with a lot of questions since we’ve met.” Danny said as she untangled. “Is there anything you’re just dying to ask me?” she had tossed her hair over her shoulder to look over at him.

Charon turned his gaze back to the ceiling. He had been staring at her this whole time and was hoping it wasn’t obvious. He did have some questions of course, she was an odd character and he couldn’t remember the last time he met someone like her. He racked his brained for a simple one…

“…Do you…like having long hair?” He cringed. Maybe that was to simple.

Danny still gave him a laugh and she grabbed her hair again trying to get the last of the knots out. “It has its ups and downs…honestly, I only let it get this long because dad said my mom always had long hair and how similar we looked when I let it grow. I never got to know my mom, so I guess I keep it long to kind of..I dunno, feel closer to her? Or something like that” She answered, trying not to sound to dramatic over hair.

That was definitely more of a personal answer than Charon was expecting. “What happened to her?”

“She apparently passed while giving birth. I guess I’ve always been complicated.” She said, giving him a small smile to try and ease the mood.

Charon tried to imagine Danny with her family, a mom and dad, living her normal life back in the vaults. “What are you going to do when you find your father?”

Danny had laid down under the sleeping bag at this point and it took her a little longer to answer this one. “Slap the shit out of him.”

Charon stuffed a laugh in his throat and smiled down at her, happy to hear it. He realized from the beginning he would probably dislike Danny’s father and it was good to hear she was starting to see the damage he had done to her.

Danny laughed at herself a bit. “I don’t really know. I mean I’ll be happy, He’s literally the only reason Im out here. Once I find him then….I’m not sure what will come next.”

Her words sunk into him. Charon felt worry build in his stomach. “…Will you…go back to live in the vaults after?” He realized he was a bit scared of the answer. He wasn’t sure what that would mean for him, or their relationship as employer and employee. 

“No, I don’t think we can ever go back there. Im not sure If I would want to. I mean, sure, it was safer and away from radiation and super mutants but I don’t think I would want to stay in a hole after knowing there so much more out here.” Danny had tucked into the sleeping bag a bit more and rolled over on her side. She never really thought about what would happen after she found her father? Would they live their life as normal as possible together in Megaton, or Rivet city? What would her life become after that? And with Charon…

It was quiet for a little bit. The candles melted down so all that was left was a dim orange glow around them. Charon could hear Danny’s breathing, and it calmed him almost to sleep.

“..Charon?”

“Hmm?”

“ After I find my dad and get everything figured out…would you want to travel with me? Maybe we could even leave D.C?…together?”

There was no answer and Danny wasn’t sure if she had asked to much or if he had fallen asleep. “Only if you wanted to that is.” She added.

“….I wouldn’t want anything else.” She finally heard, so softly. Danny smiled and tucked back into the sleeping bag where she tried to get some rest for their trip.  
—————————  
Charon rolled over on his side and realized he was unable to. He seemed to be trapped by something and slowly cracked open his eyes only to be met with the dark again. He sat up on his elbows, trying to figure out where he was. The metal roof above and the bed to his side made him realize he was still inside the trailer. Light thunder and rain could be heard outside. A small giggle was heard under him and Charon realized he was holding himself over Danny, both of them trapped under the sleeping bag.

“You ok Charon?” She asked, heavy lidded and tired. “If you wanted to share my sleeping bag you could had just asked.” 

Charon could feel his heart leap out of his chest but for some reason he didn’t move. He couldn’t, he was frozen as he laid practically face to face with her. His words were jumbled inside of his mouth, not sure of what to say first.

“I shouldn’t be here “ He said, but his body still didn’t move. Danny smiled and her small hand came out from under the sleeping bag where it rested on his shoulder.

“I really don’t mind…besides, you’re pretty warm, I was getting cold down her by myself…”

Charon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mouth became dry and he suddenly realized how tight his pants were. He lifted his body a bit higher, hoping she didn’t feel his erection beginning to press against her thigh.

“Danny, I-I don’t think thats a good idea…I should go back to bed.” He painfully said, as much as he wanted to protest. His body and mind were battling it out, each telling him the opposite thing to do. 

Her hand left his shoulder and cupped his cheek. Charon thought her hand would catch fire from how hot his face burned, but instead she kept it there and stroked his cheek with her thumb. She playfully wrapped her thighs softly around his sides as her other hand made its way down to his torso, sending chills all the way down his body. Charon felt like he was melting, both from her touch and the heat as he sunk down a bit lower. Danny’s face was now in the crook of his neck where she gave him another small muffled giggle.

Charon felt her lips on his neck, and for a moment he thought he was going to lose all control already. She kissed him once, and then again, and again, leaving a trail of wet kisses all over his exposed neck. Charons body shook as he laid on top of her. He was fully aware that she knew about his erection now as it pressed onto her belly screaming for Charon to be free from his pants. He took his one of his shaking hands to hold the dip of her back. He allowed his other hand to stroke her hair, his fingers intwined in gold thread.His breathing was rough and nervous and his mind had given in to his bodys desires as lifted her shirt and actually touched her soft skin under it. 

This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a sin for someone like him to be touching someone like her like this. “Danny,..this isn’t right..Y-you shouldn’t be letting me do this. We need to stop.” He tried to plead with her, knowing he couldn’t stop himself.

“Oh no…are you mad at me? Are you going to ...punish me, master?” She said. 

Charon froze. He quickly sat back up on his elbows to see Danny had gotten undressed and was in front of him in nothing but her bra. Was she sleeping in this the whole time and he just didn’t realize it?

“What did you just say?” Charon asked, confused, wondering if he heard her right as his heart raced again in panic.

“She said, are you going to punish her.” Came another voice.

Charon turned to see Ahzrukhal sitting at the table across the bed. A single candle illuminated his ugly features as he light a cigarette with the flame. He sat there, legs crossed and smug face, as he puffed on the stick.

“Well, arn’t cha gonna punish her?” He asked, waiting for a show.

Charon turned back to Danny, he wanted to grab her and run out of the trailer as fast as he could but when he turned he seen his hand was stretched out and seen that it was loosely clamped around Danny’s throat. Her wrists were suddenly handcuffed to the floorboards and Charon could see she was struggling to move them. Tears slowly came from her eyes as she avoided Charon’s terrified gaze.

“P-please…master..” She whimpered as more tears streamed down. Charon unclenched his hand and flung hisself back, slamming into the back of the trailer. 

His breathing was ragged and panicked. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Danny laying on the ground, his hand print still on her neck. Charon turned to Ahzrukhal who still gave him that smug look and let out a puff of smoke from the cigarette, laughing as thunder rolled louder from outside. The laughing and whimpering engulfed him until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Charon eyes snapped open. He laid there on there bed, his heart beating mile a minute and his eyes scanning the room he was in. He shot straight up, realizing just how bad he was sweating as he whipped his brow with his arm and getting a couple of large gulps of air. He snapped his neck down to see a mess of blonde hair still tucked into a sleeping bag and he felt the adrenaline slow down. He sighed and let his body fall back onto the mattress. Movement from below caught his attention as curly hair popped over the side of the bed.

Lazy eyes trying to open tried to find his face. Danny squinted and gave a small yawn.

“Charon? Whats wrong, are you ok?” she asked quietly checking the time on her pipboy. It was around 5 am, still early even for Charon.

“…Just a bad dream.” He answered, glad to hear her real voice. 

A hand landed on his arm. It was warm and soft. Charon turned to see Danny was stoking his forearm with her thumb to comfort him.

“Well, its over now.” She said, giving him a her famous small smile. She gripped his arm a little tighter and then laid back down for moment longer. The spot she touched seemed colder now than before and he thought back to the start of his dream before it made a turn for the worst. He wondered if the rest of her skin was as soft as her back like in his dream. He shook his head, trying to get it out. 

She was right, it was over now.


End file.
